


Predestined Flight

by JaclynKL



Series: What Goes Up [1]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-10-18 16:05:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 80,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10620369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaclynKL/pseuds/JaclynKL
Summary: Veronica didn’t realize how lonely she was living in New York until now. Maybe she didn’t belong in New York anymore. Maybe it was time to come home. Not Movie Compliant.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Veronica Mars belongs to Rob Thomas.

Veronica Mars stood next to the window in her small Midtown studio apartment watching the warm soothing tones of a June sunset slowly fade as the night sky descended on New York. Bright city lights now illuminated the dark sky, brought to life by the hustle and bustle of people out celebrating the end of another grueling work week.

Usually she would be out on a Friday night with a few girls she kept in touch with from law school at Columbia. They would go out to eat, grab a drink at a nearby bar or club and chat about their jobs. They were nice girls, career driven like her, so conversation never got too personal, which was perfect because she didn’t like to talk about her past.

After she transferred out of Hearst following her freshman year she ended up going to Stanford. Neptune was a black hole that only seemed to continue to break her down. She desperately needed a change and Stanford offered her an opportunity out so she gladly took it and never looked back. Even though she continued to major and eventually graduate with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice she never took on another case as a private investigator after leaving Neptune. Instead she channeled that passion into going to law school. For the last two years she has been working as an Assistant District Attorney to Joel Sternson, one of the best District Attorney’s in the state of New York.

She loved working for Joel as an Assistant DA. He had a fierce work ethic that she admired; it reminded her of herself, with the drive to complete a case. They had more than the typical boss and assistant relationship; he was closer to a second father to her. He knew she was lonely here in New York with her family and friends back in California so he understood why she drowned herself in work. She was usually the first in and the last out at the office and as if that wasn’t enough she brought work home often.

Joel opened his home to her and invited her over on holidays and weekends to spend time with his wife, kids and grandkids. She never turned down his invitations and his family absolutely adored her but he still saw that ever-present sadness in her eyes, a void that was never filled. He recognized her natural skill set and saw her unwavering determination. She had amazing potential and he was confident one day she would be a top DA. He started seeing some worrisome signs more recently, her enthusiasm was dwindling and she was exhausted. He didn’t want her to burn out so quickly and knew she had only been back home two or three times since leaving Hearst so he pushed her to take a vacation. She finally relented and he thought going back home to spend some time with her loved ones would be good for her.

Veronica moved away from the window, grabbing the TV remote off the entertainment center before stretching out on the couch. She laid there for a minute enjoying the gentle night breeze that wafted in through the window hitting her exposed skin. The blistering summer heat had not arrived yet but it was still warm enough to lounge around comfortably in a t-shirt and shorts. She leaned over and picked up the Chinese take out she bought for dinner and had dropped on the coffee table before changing out of her work clothes.

She continued to eat her dinner while mindlessly flipping through channels on the TV trying to procrastinate on packing her suitcase for as long as possible. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see her dad and her friends, she did, she had missed them a lot. She talked regularly with Wallace and Mac and her dad called a few times a week too, it was going to be nice seeing them in person. This trip would mark the fourth time she will have been back to Neptune in the last nine years. She typically would pop in for a long weekend and hope she could get out without running into a certain tall, brown-eyed millionaire. So far she had been successful.

When she left Neptune, Logan and her were not in a good place, which made leaving easier at the time. Wallace, Mac and her dad tried to keep her updated on the happenings in Neptune but she shut the topic down, she left Neptune for a reason she didn’t want to hear about it. Eventually they learned not to bring up anything Neptune related and she was glad. Over the years her anger at Logan had left and she thought about him everyday. She wondered if he was even still in Neptune. Did he have a wife? Kids? Was he happy? Did he still think about her or had he moved on?

She tried to move on and forget him but she couldn’t and really didn’t even want to. There were a few guys she dated over the years but they hadn’t been serious relationships lasting only a few months each time. She realized a few years ago that the real reason none of her relationships worked out were because none of them were with Logan. She only wanted to be with him. She often caught herself daydreaming about what kind of life they could have had together if they could get past all of their issues. She still had the resources to look him up but she never did. She was too afraid she would find that he already had a family and was happy without her, so she lived a life of avoidance.

Her cell phone ringing broke her daydreaming trance and she reached over to the end table to grab it before it went to voicemail. She looked at the caller ID and smiled before answering. “Hey, dad.”

“Hi, kiddo. What are you doing?”

She sat up on the couch and muted the TV, just now noticing she had stopped on a channel playing Easy Rider. “I just finished eating dinner.”

“Hopefully something with more nutritional value than ice cream.”

She could hear the teasing in his voice and smiled again. “Hey, you would be proud, I haven’t had ice cream for dinner in weeks! That’s a new personal best!”

“Are you done packing?”

“Um…” She hesitated briefly not wanting to lie to him, but he didn’t give her time to respond further.

“Veronica…”

“I’m not backing out, I promise. It has just been a busy week at work and I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I still have time my flight isn’t until tomorrow, I was going to start packing after dinner but then you called.”

“Okay, good. I haven’t seen you in a long time and I am looking forward to all the daddy-daughter time we are going to have.”

“I’m looking forward to it too, that is why I am giving you fourteen days of work free Veronica time. You will be so sick of my face by the end of my trip you probably won’t even stop the car when you take me back to the airport, you’ll just make me jump out.”

She could hear him laughing on the other end of the phone. “You know I will never get tired of spending time with you. What time does your flight get in?”

She got off the couch and moved over to her bed where her suitcase laid open and empty. She started grabbing clothes out of her dressers to pack as she continued talking to her dad. “Around 3pm assuming the flight isn’t delayed or I sleep through my alarm.”

“I will be at the airport waiting for you regardless. Maybe I’ll make a flashy sign in case you have forgotten what I look like.”

She knew he was joking so she chuckled along with him. “Don’t you dare!” Veronica walked over to her closet and pulled out a mix of clothes, unsure of what she would need. Just to play it safe she pulled out a few shirts, jeans, shorts and dresses and threw them in her suitcase. “How is Alicia?”

Keith and Alicia’s wedding was the last time she had been back to Neptune, nearly four years ago now. They had a small ceremony on the beach with just Wallace, Darrell and herself in attendance.

“She’s clearing out the guest bedroom right now so it will be ready when you get here. She’s also very excited to see you and is cooking a special dinner tomorrow; of course Wallace will be joining us as well. Darrell however will not; he has decided to stay at UCLA this summer. He said it’s so he doesn’t lose his great apartment but I think it’s because he wants to have unsupervised time with his new girlfriend.”

“Ah, I remember those days fondly. You would be out on a late night stakeout and Duncan, Logan or whoever would come over and keep me company for the night.”

“Veronica, that is not funny.”

She couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face; it was too easy messing with him. “Oh, come on, dad. You know they only came over when you went out of town to chase down a bail jumper. Then I didn’t have to worry about you walking in on us.”

“You are ruining the bubble of denial I live in when it comes to you and your gentlemen callers.”

She was full on laughing now at her dad’s obvious discomfort. “What happened to _honey,_ _you know you can tell me anything, I’m your dad_?”

“Honey, you can tell me anything…except for details about your sex life, which I know you don’t have because you are my innocent little girl. Any gentlemen caller you might have that disagrees with that idea will spend the afternoon with me and my gun collection.”

She smiled and rolled her eyes at his idle threat he has continued to spew since she first started dating Duncan back in high school. “Whatever helps you sleep better at night, pops.”

“Have you finished packing yet?”

Veronica laughed at his need to change the topic. “I am just about done. A few more outfits and toiletries that I will pack up in the morning before I leave and I am all set.”

“I am really glad you are coming home to visit, kiddo.”

“Me too.”

“Well I will let you go so you can finish packing. Get a good nights rest and be ready for some daddy-daughter time tomorrow!”

“Goodnight, dad.”

“Goodnight, Veronica.”

She hung up the phone and finished packing up the rest of her things she would need for her vacation in Neptune. Exhausted by the long work week she got ready for bed a little earlier than normal. Hoping to catch a few extra hours of sleep in case she couldn’t fall asleep on the plane. She crawled into bed after brushing her teeth and fell asleep with the end of Easy Rider playing on TV.

* * *

 

Veronica woke the next morning to the chirping of her alarm clock. Even though she went to bed early last night she didn’t feel well rested. She spent most of the night tossing and turning, nervousness and anxiety about returning home after four years keeping her awake. She rolled out of bed and headed for the shower.

After pulling on a pair of blue jean shorts and a t-shirt she packed the rest of her toiletries and placed them in her suitcase. She was surprisingly ahead of schedule so she decided to just grab a cab to the airport and snag something for breakfast before boarding the plane.

Getting through the security check point had taken twice as long as she planned, so much for leaving home early. She was sliding her feet back into her Converse shoes as quickly as possible. If she hurried she could still grab a breakfast sandwich on her way to the terminal.

After shoving her sandwich in her mouth she lightly jogged to her loading terminal where they had just finished boarding first class and group A passengers. She pulled out her group B ticket from her jacket pocket and stood in line waiting to board the plane. After scanning her ticket she made her way down the ramp toward the plane.

Veronica entered the plane keeping her head down to avoid getting hit by flying elbows of people trying to cram their overstuffed carry on bags in the overhead compartments. She heard her name being called by a familiar voice and lifted her head to find out who was calling her name only to lock eyes with Logan Echolls. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened slightly as she continued to stare at him unable to move. This was the last place she ever expected to run into him. The person behind her tapped her on the shoulder telling her to continue moving down the aisle. She tore her gaze away from Logan and moved to find her seat in coach. She quickly stowed away her bag and claimed a seat next to the window.

All passengers were seated and their luggage was stored. The pilot came on the loud speaker to make his pre-flight announcement as the plane made its way to the runaway for takeoff. Veronica was not listening to the pilot, lost in her own world as she tried to grasp the event of running into Logan on a plane from New York to Neptune.

She had not seen him in nine years and her first thought was that time had been good to him. He no longer had frosted tips or wore puka shell necklaces to accessorize his love of brown and orange long sleeve shirts. Now he chose to wear dark fitted clothing that pressed tightly against his body. She could tell that his body had changed over the years; his baby face had matured and was slimmer than she remembered. His chest, arms and shoulders carried more muscle than ever before, probably from a combination of lifting weights and early morning surf sessions. Her mouth started watering just from thinking about his new mature look. Seeing him again was going to be harder than she thought.

As soon as her eyes locked with his she felt the electricity shoot through her body, she still had feelings for him. This was not new information; she had always had feelings for him since they were twelve. The only difference now is that she finally knew what she wanted. With the plane inching closer to the sky she sat in her seat thinking about the emotions that seeing Logan again stirred inside her. She suddenly felt a small pain in her chest after realizing that Logan was not alone up in first class. When she saw him he was holding the hand of a beautiful brown-eyed brunette woman. They looked cozy and comfortable with each other. Veronica couldn’t remember seeing a ring on the woman’s finger because the shock of seeing Logan kind of captured all her attention. She didn’t want to think about the brunette woman being his wife but isn’t that what married couples do, they take long cross-country trips together.

Veronica had never been so relieved to have two strangers in between her and the center aisle. There was a good possibility that Logan would come looking for her when the seatbelt sign went off and right now she wanted to avoid him. She needed time to process his new lifestyle without her. From her restless night of sleep and her emotional run in with Logan she was exhausted. She decided to try and sleep on the plane; it would prevent Logan from attempting any confrontations and would make the flight go by faster. She put her hand under her head against the window and the gentle rocking of the plane put her to sleep.

* * *

 

Veronica woke up when the woman sitting next to her politely nudged her arm to let her know the plane was descending and would be landing in a few minutes. As the plane came to a stop after pulling up next to the terminal people started getting up from their seats to grab their bags and exit the plane. Veronica decided that it would be easier to avoid Logan and his wife if she exited the plane last, so she took her time collecting her things. She walked back up the ramp and took a deep breath before passing through the gate into the airport hoping Logan wouldn’t be waiting for her.

She stepped over the threshold and let out the breath she was holding when she didn’t see Logan anywhere in the vicinity. She only had her carry on so she didn’t have to worry about baggage claim and made her way out to the pick up lane to meet her dad. As she approached the airport exit she saw her dad next to the curb leaning against his black once-a-cop-always-a-cop Crown Vic. Veronica walked up to him and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek before placing her suitcase in the trunk and climbing in the passenger seat.

Keith pulled away from the airport curb heading back to the Mars-Fennel household. “How was your flight?”

“It was good, went by fast and I slept through the entire flight.” She was not going to mention her little run in with Logan. Even if her dad might be able to answer some of her questions about his life she didn’t want to talk about it with him right now. “It is so good to see you, dad. I missed you. I’m sorry I don’t visit as often as I should.”

Keith glanced over at Veronica and smiled before returning his gaze to the road. “You don’t have to apologize, Veronica. Neptune has this tight hold on people; it breaks them down and prevents them from moving up in the world. You don’t know how proud I am of everything you have accomplished. You got out, kiddo. You got out and now you are this big hot shot ADA in New York. You have become everything a father dreams his daughter to be.” He glances over at her again and sees her blinking back tears in her eyes. He can’t help but smile at the emotion breaking through his badass action figure daughter’s walls. “And I missed you too, kiddo.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes allowing Veronica to compose herself again. “What happened to that guy you were dating? What was his name? Brian?”

She nervously chuckled, “Ryan. And we broke up about a month ago.”

“Why? I thought you liked him.”

Veronica turned her head to stare out the window, her voice lacking emotion, “he was nice, we just didn’t connect.”

Her body language told him she didn’t want to talk about it further, so he didn’t push her on the topic. They have a close relationship but discussing her love life has never been an area she confided in him about. He knows about all the sporadic boyfriends she has had over the years since she left home. And he had noticed that none of her more recent relationships made it past a six-month period and wonders if she can’t move on from someone in her past. When he first started dating after Lianne left he wasn’t able to fully commit to any relationships because he still loved her. Once he let her go he found happiness and love again with Alicia. If he had to guess he would say the one boy Veronica never got over is the one boy he didn’t want her to end up with. He is a little worried how she will react if and when she finds out that Logan is off the market.

Keith pulled into the driveway and grabbed Veronica’s suitcase from the trunk before entering the house. “Alicia, I picked up a hitchhiker and she’s going to stay with us for two weeks, isn’t that great, honey!”

Veronica laughed at her dad’s antics as Alicia walked in the room to greet them. She pulled Veronica into a tight hug, “it is so good to see you, Veronica! I just put dinner in the oven, it should be ready in about an hour and Wallace will be here shortly.”

Veronica’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. “What are we having for dinner?”

“The only meal truly acceptable to celebrate your visit home…”

Veronica cut in excitedly, “lasagna!?”

“Of course, what else would we have?”

Veronica smiled and rubbed her stomach, “I hope you made plenty. You have no idea how long it has been since I have had a home cooked meal made by someone other than myself. I plan on eating my weight in lasagna tonight!”

Keith smirked at his daughter, “And how is that any different from all the other times you have had lasagna?”

Veronica smacked his arm playfully. “And on that note I am going to go unpack while dinner is cooking.” She walked out of the kitchen and headed toward the guest bedroom with her suitcase in tow.

* * *

 

Veronica was just about done unpacking when there was a knock on the bedroom door. She turned around as the door opened up and flung herself at Wallace walking into the room. “Hey, Supafly!”

She pulled out of Wallace’s embrace and rubbed his head, “hey, little bro, I’ve missed you.”

Keith called down the hall from the kitchen, “dinner is ready, kids!”

Veronica jumped up and down clapping her hands at the mention of food and Wallace laughed at her childish behavior. She linked her arm through his and dragged him down the hallway toward the kitchen.

“Hey, Papabear, pass the rolls please.”

Wallace rolled his eyes at the mention of the nickname Veronica continues to use even though it drives him nuts and passed her the bread.

Keith and Alicia shared a look with each other, both smiling at their happy family. Alicia looked over at Veronica, “how is work going?”

Veronica’s face lit up, “really good. I am learning a lot from Joel and he has been letting me take on more and more individual cases recently. Which is great because it allows me to test the water and see if I will make it in this field one day on my own.”

“It sounds like you won’t have any trouble.”

Veronica smiled at Alicia’s compliment and can’t help but think how glad she is that her dad finally found someone that makes him happy. She can’t think of anyone else she would want as a stepmom. “Wallace how’s Hearst?”

“Great! I don’t have to teach any summer math courses this year so I can just focus on getting the boys ready for the upcoming season. I decided to run a summer boot camp for any of the basketball players that want to get in extra practices. Most of the players are sticking around Neptune so I think we will be able to strengthen the team enough for us to make playoffs this year!”

Veronica smiled at Wallace’s enthusiasm. “Well if any one can whip those boys in shape it's you, Coach Fennel.”

Conversation flowed around the dinner table through dessert before they moved to the living room to watch a movie. Veronica smiled as she looked around the living room at her family. Wallace was spread out on his back on the floor while Keith and Alicia were curled up together on the opposite side of the couch. She never had this growing up. When her mom was around she was usually passed out drunk in her room and Veronica had enjoyed the peaceful moments alone. Now she loved being surrounded by family and was sad that she didn’t have this in New York. Being on the opposite side of the country meant she wasn’t here to experience family dinners or family weekends at the zoo. She was absent on birthdays and holidays and she didn’t realize how lonely she was in New York until now. She didn’t feel as lonely when she was here in Neptune visiting Keith, Alicia, Wallace and Mac. Maybe she didn’t belong in New York anymore. Maybe it was time to come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates for this story will not be as quick as my last one. I am going to try to develop a more in depth story this time around. As soon as I finish writing a chapter I will post it!


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Veronica woke up feeling more rested than she had been in a long time. She rolled over and looked at the display on the clock flashing 9am. She couldn’t remember the last time she got to sleep in this late and had to admit it felt pretty nice.

Veronica continued to lie in bed and thought back to the day before and how wonderful it felt to see her family again. Was she really ready to leave New York and return to Neptune permanently? She started creating a pros and cons list in her head, trying to decide if this new idea of hers was worth truly considering or just an actual waste of time. One reason to stay in Neptune was so she could be closer to her family. She could see her dad whenever she wanted, they wouldn’t have to Skype or wait years before they were standing in the same room again. Another reason to stay was for her friends. She missed being able to hangout with Wallace and Mac on the weekends and meet them for lunch during their lunch hours. If she moved back to Neptune she wouldn’t be so alone anymore.

One reason to stay in New York was her job. She worked her ass off in law school to land an internship with Joel Sternson. She was extremely lucky to have him offer her the Assistant District Attorney position in his office after she graduated. Sure there were ADA jobs in Neptune that she could take, but it wouldn’t be the same if she wasn’t working for Joel. Even though the job had come with grueling hours, learning from Joel and having him as a mentor was what made all the hard work worth it in the end. She feared that if she took an ADA job some where else that she would eventually lose interest and it would have all have been for nothing.

The main reason for staying in New York however was one Logan Echolls. After all these years she could finally admit that she loved him and wanted a future with him. She still didn’t know if she wanted to get married or have kids but having Logan stand by her side for the rest of her life was all she truly wanted. Seeing him on the plane yesterday with another woman hurt. A lot. All her visions of a possible future with him were slowly shattering. She didn’t know if she could stick around Neptune and watch him love another woman. Veronica knew she wasn’t being entirely reasonable, it had been nine years, it was selfish to think he had been waiting around for her to realize she made a mistake by running. Back at Hearst she misunderstood his behavior with Gory in the cafeteria as recklessness when now she knew his actions were a display of love and his desire to protect her and keep her safe. Her fear of being hurt and abandoned again kept her from letting Logan in completely and loving her the way he craved. Walking away from him had always been her biggest regret.

Veronica decided to put her thoughts on moving on the back burner for now. She blamed the emotional day of being home for the first time in four years for her temporary moment of weakness. Needing to distract herself from her personal conundrum she reached over to the nightstand and picked up her phone and dialed Mac.

Veronica was about to hang up but then Mac picked up right before the call went to voicemail. She heard a lot of loud clattering and then rushing water in the background through the phone before Mac greeted her. “Hey, Veronica!”

Veronica recognized Mac’s uncharacteristic overly peppy tone in her greeting and wondered what was going on with her best friend. “Is this a bad time? I can call back later…”

Mac cut Veronica off trying to reassure her that it was perfectly fine for her to call. “No, no! It’s fine. I just knocked over a few things running to grab the phone. Not being a morning person and having someone call you before noon on a Sunday morning means I have to jump out of bed to answer the phone. You’re lucky I pulled myself out of my nice warm, comfy bed for your call; usually I just let it go to voicemail. This is friendship at its finest!”

Veronica scrunched up her face in disbelief over Mac’s poor excuse but decided to let it go for now and remember to push her on it later. “Oh…okay. So, anyway, I was calling to see if you wanted to grab lunch with me today if you’re not busy that is.”

“I would love to!”

“Great! Cho’s Pizza at 1pm?”

“Sounds good. I will meet you there.”

Veronica hung up the phone and sat up in her bed. She rubbed her face and then got up and jumped in the shower. When she got out she threw on a pair of blue jean shorts with two layered tank tops and a pair of flip-flops. She walked into the kitchen hoping to find her dad and Alicia eating breakfast but instead she was met with silence. She grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and filled it up with cereal and milk before she saw the folded note on the counter. She opened the note to read its contents.

_Veronica,_

_Alicia and I went to our dance class and we are going to stop at the store on our way home to pick up steaks for dinner. The house is yours for the afternoon! If you decide to go anywhere, the keys to my car are on the table in the living room._

_Love,_

_Dad_

She smiled at the fact that after all these years her father and Alicia were still going out dancing together. She finished her breakfast and put her dishes in the dishwasher. Seeing as she had several hours before meeting up with Mac she decided to make a few batches of snicker-doodles to have for dessert tonight and to give to Wallace and Mac.

* * *

 

Veronica pulled into the parking lot at Cho’s Pizza and parked her dad’s car. She didn’t see Mac’s car yet and decided to go inside and grab a table to wait for Mac. She ordered a Skist and looked over the menu, noting not much had changed at Cho’s since she was in high school. The walls had been repainted and the tables and booths seemed relatively new along with the floor but the menu was almost exactly the same.

Veronica looked up from the menu when she heard Mac plop down in the booth bench across from her. They exchanged greetings and placed their order when the waiter came over to the table. “I will have a medium hamburger with pepperoni and mushroom…oh, and an order of breadsticks!”

The high school waiter’s eyes widened at Veronica’s order while Mac smiled. Her best friend still had quite the impressive appetite for someone her size. “I will have a small veggie deluxe without cheese and a water, please. Thank you.” The waiter nodded his head and left with their order, giving the two friends the privacy to catch up. “Sorry I was late. It has been a rough morning. Actually, scratch that, it has been a rough week!”

Veronica took in her friend’s appearance. Mac had a short pixie cut with bangs that scooped across her forehead. She was wearing olive green shorts and a black tank top. Veronica also saw that Mac was looking a little paler than normal and had dark circles under her eyes. “Everything okay, Mac?” She asked slightly concerned.

The waiter brought over Mac’s glass of water and set it down on the table before leaving again. She picked it up and took a few sips before answering. “Yeah. It was just a busy week at work. My team and I had to meet our deadline this past Friday for the launch of our new prototype program in order to get the funding we need to support the next phase. We ran into a few roadblocks a few days before it was due and had to pull a few all-nighters. We managed to get the program submitted on time though so my stress level has dropped tremendously now. I used to pull all-nighters all the time back in college but this past week was so much harder, I think it was because I was sick at the same time.”

The waiter brought over their two pizzas and breadsticks. He refilled their drinks and left the receipt on the table to pay when they were finished. They both immediately dug into their meals and ate in silence for a few minutes. “So what were you really doing this morning when I called?” At the look of confusion on Mac’s face Veronica continued. “This morning when I called asking you to go to lunch, before you answered there was all this noise and I don’t believe it was just from you getting out of bed…oh my god! Were you with a guy?”

A blush started to creep up the side of Mac’s face. “Um…no…I was not with a guy. It was just me.” Mac was praying that Veronica would not interrogate her further but who was she kidding this was Veronica Mars, she will eventually find out.

Veronica saw Mac’s blush and knew she was keeping a secret. “So you didn’t have a guy with you this morning?”

Mac just nodded her head while taking another sip of her water. “Correct.”

Veronica smirked at Mac’s gesture. Every time she was nervous and was trying to buy time she picked up her water. She had her now. “No guy this morning but usually there is a guy?”

Mac’s eyes widened at being caught and decided to just answer Veronica’s questions or she would never let it go, they would be sitting at this table for days. She took another drink of water. “Yes, there usually is a guy. Happy?”

Veronica smiled big. “Ecstatic! Why didn’t you tell me you had a new boyfriend? Obviously you two have been together for a while now if you have been sleeping together regularly, unless this is more of a friends with benefits situation. I’m not judging! Whatever makes you happy, Mac.”

Mac looked at Veronica and saw no judgment in her eyes just curiosity. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know if it would last. I mean I guess it started out more like a friends with benefits situation and just gradually developed into something more. We both agreed to be exclusive and so far it is going really well. I really like him.”

Veronica saw the look in Mac’s eye and thought she probably loved this mystery guy. “That is great, Mac. I am really happy for you. How long have the two of you been together?”

Mac took another drink of her water and winced. “Um…about a year or so…”

Veronica almost choked on the pizza in her mouth as her eyes widened in shock. “What!? You have been dating this guy for a year and didn’t tell me! Have you told anyone?”

Mac looked down at her lap to avoid seeing the brief look of hurt in Veronica’s eyes. “Yeah…actually you are really the only person left that didn’t know. I’m sorry, it’s just that you never want to hear about anything Neptune related so I didn’t tell you.”

Veronica was hurt that Mac hid this information about her life from her. “What does not wanting to hear about Neptune have to do with the guy you are dating? Who is he?”

Mac picked up her water avoiding Veronica’s hard stare and realized her glass was empty. _Crap!_ “Dick…I’m dating Dick.”

Veronica looked at Mac with an expression that was a cross between confusion and denial. “Dick? Logan’s Dick?”

Mac looked around the restaurant at nearby tables. She hoped no one was walking by or eavesdropping because she knew how this conversation must sound to an outsider. She lowered her voice, “yes, Logan’s Dick.” She smirked and laughed, “well, I guess he’s my Dick now.”

Veronica continued to express denial. “Dick Casablancas?”

Mac knew Veronica was probably going to have a hard time digesting this news but she didn’t think it would be this hard. “Yes.”

Veronica leaned back against the booth seat. “And you’re sure its Dick Casablancas and not some other blond surfer that just looks like Dick? Or maybe you misheard the guy and his name is really Nick.”

Getting frustrated by Veronica’s inability to grasp this concept she took a deep breath. “We have both grown up with Dick since elementary school. I think I know that Dick Casablancas is the man I have been dating and sleeping with for over a year.”

Veronica saw the frustration in Mac’s eyes and decided to do some damage control. “I’m sorry, Mac. I should have been more supportive of your announcement. Dick and I just have a complicated past and we are not each other’s biggest fans. As long as he treats you with respect and you are happy being with him I will be happy for you.”

Mac’s mood softened and she smiled at Veronica. “Thank you. I’m glad you said that because I need your help with something…Dick related…”

Veronica was a little confused as to what Mac was asking help with, but Mac was her best friend, she would be there to help her with anything she needed. “Of course, what can I help with?”

Mac hesitated for a minute before finding the courage to spill. “I know what I am about to ask of you goes outside the lines of our friendship but…I need you to be a girl with me for a few minutes and hold my hand…figuratively speaking, we don’t need to literally hold hands.” At Veronica’s look of confusion Mac continued. “The reason you heard all the noise on the phone this morning is because I was making a mad dash to the bathroom to throw up. And I was late getting here because I stopped at the store on my way here to pick up a pregnancy test.” She watched Veronica’s eyes widen and her jaw drop. “I think I’m pregnant, Veronica.”

Veronica sat silent for a minute processing this news. “Okay. Well…do you want to go back to your place and I’ll be there for you while you take the test?”

Mac tensed up slightly. “Can we use your dad’s place instead? I don’t want Dick to stop by unannounced and find out before there is anything to find out.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Let’s go.” Veronica threw down the money to cover their meal and then they both got up to leave. They got into their cars and Mac followed Veronica back to Keith’s house.

* * *

 

Veronica pulled into her dad’s and Alicia’s driveway and noticed their car was still gone. Mac pulled in and parked behind Veronica before getting out. “My dad and Alicia are out at dance class and then they are stopping at the store so I don’t know how much longer we have before they get back.”

Mac nodded, “that’s okay. Now that this is on my mind I just want to get it over with so I have an answer.”

Veronica unlocked the front door and they both walked inside. “You can use the hall bathroom, it’s the second door there on the right.” Veronica said pointing down the hall off the kitchen. “I’ll be right here when you’re done. Take your time and just breathe.”

Mac dropped her bag on the kitchen counter and reached inside to grab the pregnancy test box. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Mac walked down the hall and entered the bathroom.

True to her word a minute later Mac walked back out of the bathroom with the pregnancy stick lying on top of the box. She placed both on the kitchen counter next to her bag and set a time on her phone for three minutes. “Veronica, what if it’s positive?”

Veronica looked up at Mac with a comforting smile. “Then you go to the doctor for an official result and then you tell Dick. Whatever happens we, your parents, Wallace, my dad, Alicia and I will be here for you. You won’t be alone in this, Mac. And I’m sure that Dick will be here for you too. He’s never had a serious girlfriend and if you two are still together after a year and are happy I think that means that he loves you an awful lot. Don’t worry, it will all be okay.”

Mac smiled at Veronica. “Thanks. I needed to hear that. And I love him a lot too.” Mac’s timer went off on her phone. She stopped the time and looked down at the pregnancy stick. “Its positive.”

Veronica walked to the other side of the kitchen counter and gave Mac a hug, which she returned. “Congratulations!”

They pulled apart and Mac threw the pregnancy stick and the box in the trashcan. “I think I’m going to go home and tell Dick to come over so I can tell him. Then we can go to the doctor together.” Veronica nodded her head as Mac picked up her bag and walked to the door. Turning around to face Veronica before she left. “Thanks for lunch and everything else today, Veronica. I’ll call you later and tell you how breaking the news goes.”

Veronica smiled at Mac. “It’s really no problem. I told you I’m here for you for whatever you need. I’ll talk to you later, Mac.” She watched Mac drive away before closing the door. With all the new information Mac dropped on her today she was exhausted. She decided to lie down on the couch and watch TV, maybe even take a little nap before her dad and Alicia came home with dinner.

* * *

 

Keith and Alicia walked through the front door carrying groceries for dinner and saw Veronica asleep on the couch with the TV on. They both walked into the kitchen to put the food away until it was time to start working on dinner. After putting the food in the fridge, Keith collected all the grocery bags and walked over to the trashcan to throw them away. He stepped on the pedal and when the lid opened he froze at the sight of a pregnancy test. Keith took a closer look at the test and noticed it was positive. _Veronica._

Alicia saw Keith staring into the trashcan and not moving so she moved to stand next to him to find out what piece of trash was so interesting that it captured her husband’s undivided attention. She saw the pregnancy test in the trash and looked up to find Keith looking across the room at a sleeping Veronica. She put her hand on his arm to comfort him. “Just wait for her to wake up and be supportive. She’s probably scared.”

He nodded and placed a chaste kiss on Alicia’s cheek before turning back to the fridge and grabbing a beer. He pulled Alicia along with him to the living room and sat in the chair next to the couch waiting for Veronica to wake up.

* * *

 

About thirty minutes after Keith and Alicia moved into the living room Veronica woke up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked over to find her dad and Alicia staring at her. “Hey, dad, Alicia. Were you just watching me sleep? There has to be something on TV more fascinating than watching me sleep.”

Keith did not even smile at Veronica’s comment and watched her sit up on the couch and turn to face him and Alicia. Keeping his tone soft he asked, “is there something you want to tell us, Veronica?”

Veronica looked back and forth between her dad and Alicia trying to think of what she had done wrong in the twenty-four hours she’s been here. She knew better than to start admitting to things blindly until she had a better idea of what her dad was talking about. “Not that I know of.”

Keith looked over to Alicia who gave him an encouraging smile. “When were you going to tell us that you’re pregnant?”

Veronica’s jaw dropped. This was not the conversation she was expecting. “What? Dad, I’m…”

Keith interrupted her, “I saw the pregnancy test in the trash, Veronica.”

Veronica held up her hand to stop her dad. “That test is not mine. It belongs to Mac. She needed a friend’s support so she came over here to take the test. I’m not pregnant, dad.”

A wave of relief washed over Keith and he stood up to go hug Veronica. “Oh, thank god. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have grandkids someday but you told me yesterday that you were no longer dating that guy in New York and I just got worried. I didn’t want you to have to raise a child all by yourself on the opposite side of the country.”

Veronica and Keith pulled apart. Alicia stood up and smiled at the crisis averted. “How about we start getting dinner ready? I’m starting to get hungry and I’m sure you are too, Veronica.”

Veronica’s eyes lit up at the topic of food. “Yes! I am starving!”

Keith laughed and put his arm around Veronica’s shoulder as the three of them walked into the kitchen to grab the steaks before heading out back to fire up the grill.


	3. Chapter 3

Keith was standing at the stove in the kitchen making scrambled eggs and sausage links while Alicia was setting the table. She had already made the biscuits and gravy, bacon, cut up fresh fruit and poured some orange juice. The spread on the table looked like it could feed a small army but was set up for only three people.

Veronica walked out of the guest bedroom and down the hall to the kitchen yawning. “I love waking up to the smell of breakfast!” She walked over to Keith and gave him a hug before taking a seat at the table next to Alicia. “Geez, I know I can pile away the food but this is too much even for me.”

Keith turned off the stove and brought over the pans carrying the scrambled eggs and sausage links and divvied up the food on everyone’s plates. “I just feel bad that I have to work while you’re here. So the least I could do was make you a special breakfast.”

Veronica loaded up her plate with a little of everything that was sitting on the table. “Dad, its fine. I didn’t expect you to entertain me the entire length of my stay. I know you have to keep the office open. We still have plenty of time for some daddy-daughter bonding.”

“That we do!” Keith took a bite of his eggs and bacon. “How did Richard take the news of his impending fatherhood?”

Veronica finished chewing the food in her mouth before answering. “Good. Actually really well. Mac said that he was very excited, jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store.” Veronica took a drink of her orange juice and grabbed more bacon. “Mac also said that he has already started picking out names. I’m shocked, I thought hearing that he was going to be a dad would send him running. I’m glad he didn’t though, I would have to track him down and tase him for abandoning Mac.”

Keith shook his head at his daughter as a smile crept onto his face. He always felt a sense of pride that his five-foot-one daughter could make grown men quake in their boots. He didn’t know how she did it. “I think Richard is happy to have a family again. Since his brother has passed away, his father is still in jail and his mother never seems to leave Europe he had no family here anymore. Mac is giving him a new family. I don’t think you have to worry about him walking away from that.”

Veronica sat for a moment to think about what her dad had just said. She couldn’t help her mind from drifting to another boy she knew with no family. Lynn and Aaron were both dead. Logan still had his sister, Trina, but the chances of Trina acting like a sister to him were slim to none. Logan was without a family just like Dick. Veronica wondered if Logan and his wife had kids and if they didn’t, did he want kids?

Alicia saw Veronica lost in her own mind and wondered if the young woman was imagining having kids. “Do you think you would like to have kids one day, Veronica?”

Keith looked up at his daughter, curious as to what her answer would be. She had never talked about having her own family since she was a little girl. He remembered her playing with baby dolls and caring for them as if she were their mother. When her friends came over they would all dress up and pretend to be at each other’s weddings. He knew Veronica would make an amazing mother one day, he just wondered if the damage Lianne created all those years ago had any effect on Veronica’s decision into motherhood.

Alicia’s question brought Veronica back to the discussion at the table. “I don’t know. I don’t think having kids is really in the cards for me.” She was honest in her answer. She didn’t plan on having kids but if she did accidentally end up pregnant one day she pictured Logan as the father.

Alicia smiled warmly at Veronica. “I thought the same thing, of course I was a few years younger than you at the time, I didn’t want kids. But then I got pregnant with Wallace and everything changed. I love being a mother. You may never want to have kids and that’s perfectly fine, the choice is yours and only yours. Don’t let society tell you that you have to be a mother. I will tell you this though; creating a life with the person you love most is an unbelievable experience. I’m sure your dad would agree.”

Veronica took in Alicia’s words and wondered if her stepmom had a mother’s intuition as to what she had been thinking about just a few moments before. She was incredibly lucky to have Alicia in her life to fill in for her mom. When she was younger she always pictured having these talks with Lianne. Sitting on the couch, ice cream in hand sharing what their dream husband would be like, how he would propose, what wedding they would have and the names of their future children. But then her mom abandoned her and life made her jaded. All those dreams she had retreated into the back corners of her mind. Now Alicia was here and it made Veronica happy to know she could create new mother-daughter experiences with her.

Keith and Alicia stood up from the table and started collecting the dirty dishes. He noticed his daughter zoned out of the conversation a few minutes ago and decided to bring her back. “So, kiddo, what’s on the agenda today?”

Veronica brought her dishes over to the sink before grabbing a seat on the stool at the kitchen counter. “Well since you two, Wallace and Mac are all working today I thought it would be the perfect day to spend at the beach. I missed having an ocean view in New York. I’ll probably bring a book or something and lay out for a few hours. Really take advantage of this thing called relaxing. I heard it’s something people do on vacation.”

Keith laughed at his daughter and yelled back at her as he was walking down the hall to his bedroom to get ready for work. “Make sure you take sunscreen too. You’ve been on the East Coast too long so that pale skin of yours will burn to a crisp in five minutes.”

Veronica faked an insulted expression before jumping off her stool at the kitchen counter and walked back to the guest bedroom to jump in the shower and pack a bag to take to the beach.

* * *

 

When Keith and Alicia got married, they moved out of the 02 zip code and settled into a nice navy blue craftsman style ranch in the 04 district. The house sat more inland than the ocean front apartment complex Keith and Veronica lived in when she was in high school.

Veronica had no other plans for the day except for a little beach relaxation so she decided to take advantage of the nice day and walk the two-mile stretch to the beach. It was a beautiful walk, nothing like walking in New York, there were no loud honking cars, no mass amounts of people pushing past you in a hurry and no concrete walls closing you in. Just warm summer rays and a salty ocean breeze assaulted her senses immediately putting her in a good mood, she knew this was a good idea.

Finally arriving at the beach Veronica found a spot in the sand away from other people and rolled out her towel. She stripped down to her red strapless bikini that she had on under her clothes and rubbed sunscreen onto her pale skin. Veronica grabbed a book out of her bag; laid down on her towel, back facing the sky, as she began to read.

Veronica could not focus on her book so instead she threw it back in her bag and continued to lie on her stomach taking in the beach scene. She watched as small children ran toward the waves and shrieked as they came in touch with the cool ocean water. She watched couples hold hands as they walked across the sand and surfers turn tricks on the crashing waves. She pulled her sunglasses out of her bag and placed them on her face as she rolled over onto her back to even out her tan. The warm California sun along with the soothing sound of the ocean waves was making her sleepy. She closed her eyes and fell into a light nap.

* * *

 

Usually on a Monday morning Logan would be at work but today he had the day off. Being the boss had its advantages and so he took the day off to relax and recuperate after getting back from his trip to New York over the weekend. His mind was still racing from that last day on the plane back to Neptune. He happened to look up at the perfect moment to catch the one profile he would never forget.

Logan got out of bed, changed into a pair of black athletic shorts and slipped on his socks and tennis shoes. He went into the kitchen, ate a light breakfast and then brushed his teeth before heading out the door to go for a run.

He was never much of a runner in high school, mostly gathering his exercise from surfing. He started running in college, it seemed like a good outlet to channel his anger and clear his head. Instead of punching people out he took to pounding down on the pavement in each of his long strides. It seemed to help calm him over the years; it was therapeutic for him so he continued to stick to the routine.

About three miles into his run along the beach he spotted a petite blond in a red bikini lying on top of a towel with sunglasses covering her eyes. He smirked to himself as he walked over to her. Even from a distance he knew who the blond was, he could recognize her body anywhere. As he approached she still continued to lie on the sand. He stood over her and couldn’t see through the tint of her sunglasses to look at her eyes but noticed the deep rise and fall of her chest. She was asleep. He smiled as the excitement of being this close to her in nine years raced through his body. He took a moment to drink her in while she was unaware of his presence.

Her blond hair fell around her shoulders, considerably shorter than the last time he was with her at Hearst. She was still petite but her body had filled out a little more. No longer carrying a teenage girl frame but the frame of a matured woman. His body was heating up at the sight of her; she was more beautiful than ever before. Logan took a seat in the sand next to Veronica’s sleeping form with his arms circling around his bent knees. He didn’t want to wake her up and he also didn’t want to leave just yet, so he decided to wait for her to finish her nap.

* * *

 

Veronica slowly opened her eyes realizing she must have fallen asleep. She looked over to her side and jumped at the sight of a pair of legs sitting next to her. She sat up quickly and placed a hand on her chest to calm herself. “Jesus, Logan! You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing here?”

He held his hands up in front of him. “I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention to scare you. I was running along the beach and I couldn’t help myself.” He let out a slow smile turning the corners of his mouth up. “I see a gorgeous blond lying on the beach and I have to stop and say hi.”

Veronica couldn’t control her eyes from roaming his body. He was just wearing a pair of black athletic shorts with no shirt. The sweat from his run and the heat outside glistened across his tan pecks and abs. She desperately tried to keep her jaw from dropping and drooling at the sight of him. _Damn! His six-pack abs put Connor Larkin’s to shame._ She tore her gaze away from his body and noticed a smug smirk in place and twinkle in his eye. She knew that look; he had just caught her ogling his body. She tried to hide her embarrassment at getting caught and responded to his earlier comment. “Doesn’t your wife get jealous of you chatting up hot blonds on the beach?”

Logan’s eyes widened in shock at her question. “My what?”

Veronica brought her knees up to her chest and looped her arms around her legs mirroring Logan’s position next to her. “Your wife. The beautiful brunette with you on the plane.”

Logan relaxed a little and smirked at her. She was always cute when she was jealous. “Rachel. She’s not my wife but she is my girlfriend.”

She tried to hide the feeling of relief she felt knowing he wasn’t married. ”Uh…how long have you two been dating?”

Logan’s hand snaked up around the back of his neck. “A little under two years. We met during junior year at Hearst, just stayed friends through graduation. I hadn’t seen or talked to her until about two years ago. Dick and I opened up a business together, Surf Bros & Co., it’s about a mile down the beach from here by the boardwalk. I run the background business side, you know the financials, inventory and hiring parts. Dick instructs the surf lessons and maintains the merchandise in the shop. Anyway, Rachel signed up for a surf lesson and that’s kind of how we reconnected.”

Veronica couldn’t stop the pang of jealousy she felt. How was it that Logan and Lilly dated for years even though she repeatedly cheated on him? Now he was dating Rachel who has been in the picture for years. But for her and Logan, who had incredible history, chemistry and passion, could not make it more than a few months without one of them walking away. What was wrong with them? She looked over at Logan, “what were you doing in New York?”

He clasped his hands together around his legs again. “We were visiting Rachel’s parents. They live in Manhattan…what were you doing in New York?”

Veronica was a little surprised he didn’t know. She figured that since Mac was dating Dick and Dick being Logan’s best friend that information would float. “I live there or I have been living there for the last six years. I’m an Assistant District Attorney in Midtown and my boss had been pushing me to take a vacation so here I am, back home in Neptune for two weeks.”

A few beats of silence passed between them before Logan spoke. “Well that explains your pale skin…” She shoved him playfully with her shoulder as they both laughed. “Seriously…you have been gone too long, this California sun is powerful. You should put some more sunscreen on, you’re starting to turn pink.”

Veronica lifted up her sunglasses and looked down at her stomach noticing the pink tint forming. She pulled the sunscreen out of her bag and started rubbing it onto her skin. She looked over at Logan and tiled her head. “Can you get my back?”

He smiled a big grin at her. “I’ll do yours if you do mine.” He took the sunscreen out of her hands and squirted some onto his palms. As he placed his bare hands on her back he felt the electricity run through him at the contact. It felt like that first jolt they shared during their kiss at the Camelot all those years ago. He quickly finished rubbing in the sunscreen and spun around so she could reach him. “My turn.”

Veronica placed the sunscreen on her hands and rubbed it on his back in a circular pattern. When she was done her fingers lingered on his skin faintly tracking the scars on his back. He immediately tensed up and just as quickly relaxed against her gentle touch. Even in the summer sun her small fingers felt cool against his back. She hadn’t seen his scars in years and yet she still remembered where every single mark was hidden. She remembered back when they were together, after he fell asleep she would lie in his arms and trace the scars that covered his body. She admired the strength it took for him to take Aaron’s beatings and still walk around with infinite love in his heart for those around him. He didn’t allow Aaron to break him. That strength was one of the many things she loved about him.

She put her hand down to her side as Logan turned around to face her. The look in his eyes was pure love and after getting caught up in the moment of their magnetic pull they both blinked out of their daze and took a few steps apart. At that moment Veronica’s stomach growled and Logan laughed. “What do you say we grab lunch? There’s a pretty great taco truck next to the boardwalk.” Sensing her hesitation he threw down the winning hand. “I’ll even get you an ice cream for dessert!”

The genuine smile on her face made his heart swell. “How can I say no to ice cream?”

He laughed at her comment and helped her pack up her belongings. He grabbed her beach bag and flung it over his shoulder as they walked down the beach to the boardwalk for lunch.

* * *

 

Logan and Veronica were sitting at a picnic table digging into their chicken tacos, chips and salsa. Logan took a drink of his soda and cleared his throat. “So…do you have a husband or fiance or boyfriend back in New York?”

Veronica put down her taco and looked up at Logan. “No. I just ended a relationship about a month ago, so it’s just me now.”

He didn’t see any sadness in her eyes at her confession so he didn’t feel the need to dig further into the topic. “How do you like living in New York?”

A small smile flashed across her face before falling. “Its never boring. They weren’t kidding when they said it’s the city that never sleeps. I’m not particularly fond of the New York winters but that happens to be the most beautiful time of year there so it’s worth the cold. I miss the beach though, its nothing like the beaches here and…”

He knew she was skating around something. She didn’t quite answer his question and he wanted to know what was running through her head that made her smile fall. “And what?”

She didn’t want to lie to him. So many of their past arguments had been about lies each of them told. She wanted to have him back in her life as a friend if nothing more and knew that if they were going to stand a chance she needed to open up and be more honest with him. “And I also miss my dad…and Alicia, Wallace and Mac…even you. Its hard sometimes being so far away.”

He gave her a small smile before responding. “So why not move back to Neptune?”

She took a deep breath and released it. “I love my job in New York. I worked really hard to get to where I am and I don’t want to quit so soon.” It wasn’t the whole truth but she was just starting this open honesty thing, it was going to take time.

Logan saw there was more she wanted to say but didn’t want to push her on it. They were just starting to reconnect again and it was going better than he ever thought, he didn’t want to chance running her off by being too pushy. He also no longer had the right to know everything about her. “Ready for that ice cream?”

Grateful for a topic change, she gathered up her trash and put it on the tray before looking back up at him with a big smile. “Always!”

They both laughed as they walked into the ice cream shop and ordered their cones. They walked around the boardwalk for a while eating their ice cream and continuing to make small talk trying to keep the conversation upbeat. “I feel bad that I had you walk so far away from your car. Let me drive you back. Surf Bro’s is right over there, I can get Dick’s car and take you back to the parking lot.”

Veronica smiled at his protectiveness. “I actually don’t have a car. I walked from my dad’s house.”

Logan looked at her shocked. “You walked…okay, I’m definitely driving you back to your dads. I’m not going to let you walk back by yourself in the dark. Come on.” He placed a hand on her lower back and steered her over to Surf Bro’s.

* * *

 

Logan and Veronica walked into the Surf Bro’s shop and saw Dick behind the counter dancing and singing along to the overhead radio playing throughout the store. Dick turned around when he heard the bell over the door chime. “Logan, man, I thought today was your day off.” He saw Veronica step out from behind Logan and a big smile graced his face. “Hey, Ronnie! Long time no see, girl!” Dick moved out from behind the counter and picked Veronica up in a big bear hug.

Logan looked on in terror at what Veronica might do to Dick from the physical contact. His jaw dropped open when Dick put Veronica back on her feet and no violence ensued. “Uh…sorry about Dick’s moment of insanity. He’s just really excited ever since he found out he was going to be a dad…” He winced as the words left his mouth unsure how Veronica would take the news.

A small smile graced Veronica’s lips as she looked at Dick. “I heard. I guess congratulations are in order.”

Logan looked at Veronica confused, he couldn’t believe what was happening. “Wait a minute. Veronica, you knew Dick impregnated your best friend and you haven’t tased him yet? Are you feeling okay?”

Veronica smirked at Logan for thinking along the same lines as she had earlier that day when she talked to her dad. “I feel fine. And I was with Mac when she took the test yesterday. Also, I promised her I would play nice and be supportive.”

Dick bobbed his head up and down and gave a big toothy grin to Logan and Veronica knowing she couldn’t threaten him anymore. “So what are you two doing here?”

Logan leaned against a support column before looking back at Dick. “I ran into Veronica on the beach and was going to drive her home but I didn’t bring my car. Can I use yours?”

Dick reached into his pocket and dug out his keys, tossing them over to Logan. “Sure thing, dude. I’ll just get a ride from my baby mama.” Logan and Veronica rolled their eyes and turned to leave. “See you at home, man. Bye Ronnie!”

* * *

 

Logan drove Veronica to her dad’s house and parked out front. He walked her up to the front porch and they turned to face each other. “I had a great day today, Veronica. It was nice getting to catch up again.”

Veronica gave him a small smile. “It was. Thank you for lunch and the ride home.”

“Anytime.” He turned to leave and stopped when he got to the bottom of the porch steps. “Would you like to have lunch with me on Thursday? We still have a lot to catch up on.”

She nodded her head in response. “Sure.”

He gave her a smile and said, “okay. I’ll text you later this week with the details.” Then he walked back to his car and watched her walk inside before he drove off. His cell phone started ringing and he answered it without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”

“Hi, Lo.”

“Hey, Rachel.”

“I was just calling to say hi. How was your day?”

“It was good. I went for a run along the beach and ran into an old friend. She’s in town visiting her dad.”

“Oh, that’s nice! If she’s going to be in town through this weekend you should invite her to the beach with us, Dick and Mac on Saturday!”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Great! Hey, Lo, I got to go finish grading papers. I just wanted to say hi. I’ll see you tomorrow night for dinner. Love you!”

“Goodnight, Rachel.”


	4. Chapter 4

Last night when Veronica got home from her day at the beach her dad was on his way out. He got a lead on a bail jumper and was going to be gone for the next day or two. Veronica thought she would help her dad out and head into Mars Investigations for the day to answer the phones and get him caught up on his filing.

So here she was sitting at the receptionist desk waiting for the phone to ring or a new client to walk in. She finished filing away her dad’s closed cases about an hour ago and now she had no distraction to keep her mind from replaying the day before at the beach with Logan. She didn’t know why she was so nervous about running into him during her visit to Neptune because yesterday felt just like old times. It felt so natural to jump back into a physical relationship with him. If she closed her eyes she could still feel the warmth of his hands on her back. She knew it was wrong, he had a girlfriend and she didn’t want to mess that up for him…but it had been nine long years and rational behavior went out the window. If she was going to survive the rest of this trip she knew she had to jump back into the friend zone and be the kind of friend she was to him when he was dating Lilly.

Her cell phone ringing brought her out of her thoughts and she answered the call without looking to see who was calling her. “Hello?”

“Hey Supafly! How’s vacation?”

She smiled at the recognition of Wallace’s voice. “Vacation is great! I saw Mac, went to the beach and now I’m at the office.”

“Wow. It only took you three days before you went back to work. You know, V, people take vacations to get away from work.”

Veronica rolled her eyes at Wallace even though he couldn’t see her and switched her phone to her other ear. “I’m not really working…just helping my dad out by filing and watching the phones. Piece of cake.”

“Mhmm. Well I only have a minute before I gotta get back to the gym but I wanted to see what you were doing on Friday. Hearst is having their annual faculty banquet and I thought you could go with me.”

Veronica sat back in her chair and put her feet up on the desktop. “Bringing your sister as your plus one…won’t that ruin your image as a ladies man?”

“Bringing you shows I am a charming, caring guy who adores his family. Trust me, the ladies love it!”

She laughed at him playfully. “Fine, you sold me. I’ll go. I’ll be the best wingman you’ve ever had!”

“Thanks, V. It’s not a super formal event so you don’t need a formal gown or anything. Just think date night apparel. I’ll swing by and get you at 6pm on Friday. Talk to you later, Supafly!”

“Bye, Papa Bear.”

As soon as she hung up the phone after talking to Wallace the bell over the door chimed. She looked up and took her feet off the desk as a little boy probably no older than seven years old walked in. He had short light brown hair and freckles covering his nose and cheeks. Veronica thought he resembled Logan a little bit but this little boy had blue eyes instead of Logan’s chocolate brown eyes. An image of Logan and her walking down the street with their son in between flashed through her mind all of a sudden and quickly disappeared when the boy began to speak.

He took a few steps away from the door and reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white card. “Uh…I’m here to see Keith Mars.” He put the card back into the pocket of his shorts and looked up at Veronica.

Veronica gave a small smile to the little boy in front of her. “Mr. Mars is not here right now. He went out of town for a few days.”

The boy lowered his head in disappointment and dug the toe of his shoe into the floor nervously. “Oh.”

Veronica leaned forward and crossed her arms in front of her on the desk. “Maybe I can help you with whatever you were going to ask Mr. Mars.”

He lifted his head up to look at Veronica. “Maybe. Mr. Mars is an investigator, he helped my mom one time…I need an investigator…are you an investigator too like Mr. Mars?”

Usually Veronica avoided being around kids, they made her uncomfortable but for some reason she didn’t mind being around this kid. Maybe it was just his resemblance to Logan that drew her in. “I used to be. Keith Mars is my dad and I used to work here with him when I was in high school.”

He moved closer to the desk until he was standing right in front of Veronica. “Well…can I hire you to help me?” He swung his book bag around from his back to his front so he could unzip it. “I can pay you.” He pulled out a small blue piggy bank and pulled the cork out from the pig’s belly emptying a bunch of coins on top of Veronica’s desk. “That’s five dollars. Is that enough for you to help me?”

Veronica couldn’t help the smile that broke out across her face. This kid was adorable. “I will help you. But I don’t want to take your money; you keep it and save up for something special. Okay?”

He smiled back at her as he went to pick up his coins and put them back into his piggy bank. He moved to sit on the couch in the room and pulled his book bag up next to him. “What’s your name?”

Veronica got up from behind her desk and moved into the small kitchen the office had. She called back over her shoulder, “Veronica.”

“I’m Tyler.” He smiled as Veronica came out of the kitchen carrying two sodas and a plate of cookies. “Veronica, would you like to be my friend?” He picked up an Oreo and took a bite. “I don’t have a lot of friends…the kids at school think I’m weird.”

Veronica grabbed a cookie and smiled at Tyler. She could relate to him, she didn’t have a lot of friends either because in high school people thought she was weird too. “I would like to be your friend…is that what you wanted my dad to help you with…to be your friend?”

Tyler picked up his soda and held it out for Veronica to open. Once she did, he took it back and took a drink. “No, I needed to ask him something else. If I tell you, you promise you won’t laugh. Everyone else I’ve asked to help me has laughed at me.”

Veronica sat back in her chair ready to listen. “I promise I won’t laugh.”

Tyler set down his soda and started fidgeting with his fingers. “I need you to help me find Henry.”

She didn’t understand why people would laugh at him for trying to find someone. A good portion of their clients came in asking to track someone down. “Who’s Henry?”

Tyler continued to play with his fingers not looking at Veronica. “Henry is my pet turtle…last week I was playing with my older brother’s remote plane. I’m not supposed to play with it but I just wanted to see it fly. I accidently crashed it and it broke. My brother was so mad at me. The next day I couldn’t find Henry and my brother said he took him back to the pet store. Can you help me get him back?”

Veronica couldn’t believe what she was hearing, her first day back in the office after nine years and she was taking the case of the missing turtle. “I’ll help you.” She smiled as she watched his face light up in glee. “What’s your home phone number? I’ll go check out the pet stores and call you when I find him.”

Tyler jumped off the couch and put his book bag back on. “I’ll just go with you. You don’t know what Henry looks like.”

Veronica looked at Tyler shocked. “I can’t just take you with me. I don’t think your mom would like that very much.”

“I’ll call her.” Tyler walked over to Veronica’s desk and picked up the office phone to call his mom. Tyler explained to his mom that he was going to spend the day with Veronica, Keith Mars’ daughter, and she was going to help him find Henry. After getting permission from his mom he hung up the phone, walked around the desk and stood by the front door with his hand outstretched. “Come on, Veronica!”

* * *

 

There were three pet shops in Neptune. Two were within walking distance and resided along the beach to appeal to tourists who were hoping to get a tropical souvenir to take back home. The other pet store was in downtown Neptune and required a car to get to.

Veronica and Tyler walked into the first pet store along the beach, Aquatic Creatures _._ Tyler pulled Veronica to the back of the store where the turtles, lizards and snakes were kept. For the next thirty minutes Tyler thoroughly inspected each turtle the store had on display. His face fell and turned around to look at Veronica. “None of them are Henry.”

“Come on, let’s go find the owner.” Veronica put her arm around Tyler’s shoulder and steered him to the front of the store. When they got to the front they saw an older gentleman with white hair, probably in his late sixties, standing behind the cash register. “Are you the owner?”

He turned toward Veronica and Tyler and smiled a gentle grandfatherly smile. “I am. What can I help you with?”

Veronica stood behind Tyler with both of her hands on each of his shoulders. “We are looking for a specific turtle and we didn’t see it back there in your display. Did you sell any turtles in the last week or so?”

The older gentleman leaned back against the far wall and folded his arms across his chest. “No, the last turtle I sold was probably about three weeks ago. You might want to try Open Ocean _,_ up by the boardwalk. They sell land turtles along with sea turtles and they have a larger supply than I do. That’s probably your best bet.”

“Thank you for your help.” Veronica and Tyler turned to walk out of the store. When they got out on the sidewalk Veronica turned to look down at Tyler. “So, I’m getting pretty hungry. How about we grab some lunch and then we will go check out that other store. What do you say?”

Tyler beamed up at Veronica and nodded his head. “Can we get pizza!? Every time my mom takes me to the boardwalk we always get the pizza next to the ferris wheel. Can we do that?”

“Pizza sounds perfect!” Veronica started walking down the beach toward the boardwalk with Tyler next to her. She smiled when she felt his tiny hand grab onto hers and pull her along, excited to get to the pizza stand.

* * *

 

Dick was standing behind the counter at Surf Bro’s staring out the window watching the surfers out on the water and the people pass by on the sidewalk. Surf Bro’s was usually busy in the mornings from people signing up for surf lessons and buying surf gear. The afternoons slowed down some as the majority of the surfers were finished for the day and the tourists took over the beachfront. He saw a familiar blond walk by the front of the shop and his head shot up. “Dude, call CPS, someone gave Ronnie a kid!”

Logan’s head jerked up from his clipboard where he was taking inventory on their merchandise. “What?”

Dick moved out from around the checkout counter and pointed down the sidewalk. “Ronnie just walked by with some kid in tow.”

Logan was definitely curious. He put down his clipboard on the counter and moved towards the shop door. Calling back over his shoulder at Dick, “I’m going to take lunch. Be back in an hour.” He pushed open the door and walked down the sidewalk in search of his favorite blond.

* * *

 

Veronica and Tyler were standing at the end of the line waiting to order their pizza from the Coastal Pizza kiosk. “What kind of pizza do you want?”

Tyler threw his hands up in the air in the classic “touch-down” pose and excitedly said, “pepperoni!”

“I also love pepperoni pizza.” Veronica and Tyler were startled at the voice intruding in on their conversation and turned around to see Logan standing behind them with a big closed mouthed grin. He was the picture of pure innocence.

Veronica gave a mischievous smile at Logan. “Two days in row. Are you stalking me?”

Logan gave her his iconic smirk and ignored her comment, instead looking down at the small boy standing next to Veronica. “And who is this?”

Tyler took a step forward and looked up at Logan. “I’m Tyler. Veronica is my friend.” He stuck out his hand for Logan to shake. “Nice to meet you.”

Logan raised his eyebrows at Tyler’s gesture, quickly catching Veronica’s eye and then smiling as he shook Tyler’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Tyler. I’m Logan.”

Veronica’s heart melted at the sight of Logan interacting with Tyler. “Logan is a friend of mine too.” She caught the light in Logan’s eye that said it meant the world to him to hear her call him a friend again.

Tyler looked between the two of them with a big smile on his face. “Wow, really! You should have lunch with us, we are getting pizza!”

Logan laughed at Tyler’s level of excitement. “I remember. Well if it’s okay with Veronica I would love to join you.”

Tyler turned his head toward Veronica with puppy dog eyes pleading with her to say yes. She laughed at his tactic and rolled her eyes before giving in. “Yes, of course he can join us.”

Both boys looked at each other with big smiles on their faces before high-fiving. Veronica shook her head at them trying to hide the smile on her face that was brought out from Logan being around. This was a new side of him she never saw. None of them had any younger siblings growing up so they never spent time around little kids. She loved seeing him so carefree and happy and knew he would be an amazing dad one day.

* * *

 

Logan was seated across from Veronica and Tyler at a picnic table with a large pepperoni pizza between them and three sodas. Tyler was about half way into his first slice of pizza when he broke the silence and looked up at Logan. “If Veronica is my friend and you are Veronica’s friend, does that mean you are my friend too?”

Logan smiled and nodded his head at Tyler. “Yeah, I guess that makes you my friend too.”

Tyler smiled big and took another bite of his pizza smearing even more sauce on his face. “Cool!...When did Veronica become your friend?”

Logan’s eyes briefly met Veronica’s before looking back at Tyler. “I met Veronica when I was twelve. I had just moved to Neptune and I didn’t know many people here. A buddy of mine took me to a girl’s soccer game and that’s when I saw Veronica. She was on the field playing and she looked so ho-“ He saw Veronica shoot him a narrowed look and smirked at her before continuing. “She looked very cute in her uniform. I told her she played well after the game and we have been friends ever since.” Logan locked eyes with Veronica as they both smiled at the memory. “How long have you and Veronica been friends?”

Tyler picked up his soda two handed and took a drink. “Since this morning. She’s helping me find my pet turtle, Henry. Veronica’s the best friend I’ve ever had.”

Logan looked over at Veronica with love in his eyes as he gently stated, “yeah, Veronica’s the best friend I’ve ever had too.” He smiled as he watched Veronica look away and attempt to hide the emotion in her eyes. He knew she would never let the tears fall in front of them but glad she still knew how much she meant to him.

Now in control of her emotions Veronica looked back over at Logan and then Tyler. “Almost done, bud? We still have one more pet shop to check out today.”

Tyler looked over at Veronica with a small sad smile. “What if the other two stores don’t have Henry?” As another idea entered his mind he jumped up with a worried look on his face. “Do you think he ended up at the zoo?”

Veronica looked at Tyler trying to hold back her smile. “I don’t think it works that way.”

“If he isn’t at the other stores we will go to the zoo and check still, right?” Tyler looked up at Veronica with sad eyes.

Veronica thought if she ever had kids to never teach them puppy dog eyes because she would be totally screwed. “Yeah, if we don’t find Henry at the other two stores we can check out the zoo.” She knew Tyler’s turtle was not at the zoo but she couldn’t say no and squash his hope. The chances of them ending up at the zoo were slim, they still had two stores to look into first.

Tyler moved his pleading puppy dog eyes in Logan’s direction. “If we go to the zoo you are coming too, right?”

Logan nodded his head yes and watched Tyler jump for joy. This kid’s puppy dog eyes held just as much power over him as Veronica’s infamous head tilt.

Veronica picked up the trash on the table and threw it away. “Well, Tyler, you ready to hit Open Ocean?” She saw him nod his approval. “Then I have to get you back home to your mom.”

Tyler jumped up and high-fived Logan. “Bye, Logan!”

“Bye, Tyler!” Logan turned toward Veronica and gave her a hug. “Thank you for letting me crash your lunch. I had a fun time and he seems like a good kid.”

“Yeah, he is…so, I guess I’ll see you on Thursday.” Veronica turned around and walked with Tyler to Open Ocean as Logan turned, put his hands in his pockets and walked back to Surf Bro’s with the biggest smile that had graced his face in a long time.

* * *

 

Veronica and Tyler left Open Ocean in disappointment. They talked to the owner and found out that five turtles had been sold in the past week. None of the turtles however matched the description of Henry. Three of the turtles sold were of a different species than Henry and the other two were still baby turtles while Henry was several years old.

Veronica looked down at Tyler as they were walking down the street back to Tyler’s house. “You know, Tyler, we still have one more store we can look into tomorrow. Even if we don’t find him there I will still help you look for him.”

Tyler threw his arms around Veronica’s waist. “Thank you, Veronica.” And then he quickly removed his arms and kept walking beside her. “I like Logan. He’s really cool. Do you think we could hangout with him again?”

Veronica smiled and looked over at Tyler as they kept walking down the street. “I will have to ask Logan but I think he would like to see you again. He was very happy when you asked him to join us for lunch.”

Tyler ran ahead and jumped over a crack in the ground. “If you’re an investigator what does Logan do?”

“Well I’m not an investigator anymore, just for this case to help you find Henry.” Veronica pushed some hair behind her ear. “Logan owns a shop by the boardwalk where we had lunch today. They teach people how to surf and they also have clothes and surf gear people can buy.”

Tyler stopped walking and stood in front of Veronica causing her to abruptly stop. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open like he just saw the most amazing thing in the world. “Can Logan teach me how to surf!?”

Veronica smiled and laughed at the expression on his face. “I will ask him. He has tried to get me out on a surfboard for years and I never took him up on the offer to learn. I think he would love to teach you how to surf. Being out on the water is Logan’s favorite place to be.”

They stopped on the sidewalk in front of Tyler’s house and he ran up to the front porch. “Thank you for helping me today, Veronica. I’ll see you tomorrow…and don’t forget to ask Logan about taking me surfing!”

Veronica watched Tyler walk inside his house and close the front door. She turned to walk back to her dad’s house, pulled out her cell phone and hit number two on her speed dial.

“Hey, Veronica.”

She smiled at the greeting and the warm tone in his voice. “Hey, Logan…I just wanted to tell you that I dropped Tyler off and he could not stop talking about you on our walk back. I might have also mentioned to him that you own a surf shop and now he wants you to teach him how to surf.”

She could hear the smile in his voice. “I would love too. Maybe I’ll finally be able to get you out on a surfboard too.”

Veronica laughed at him for never giving up trying to get her out on the water to surf. “Well I don’t know about that but I’ll definitely come and watch you two goofballs try and tackle the waves.”

“I’ll take what I can get.” A moment of silence passed between them. “Since I have you on the phone, on Thursday, how about I come pick you up for lunch around noon? Don’t ask where I’m taking you either, it’s a surprise, you will just have to wait.”

She smiled into the phone as she walked up the driveway to her dad’s house. “Noon is perfect. And since you won’t tell me where we are going there better be dessert included at this lunch!”

Veronica could hear him laugh through the phone. “Deal. I would not be a smart man if I withheld dessert from you, that is just asking for trouble…I’ll see you on Thursday, Bobcat.”

She froze at the mention of the old nickname, not realizing Logan was already gone until she moved the phone away from her ear and saw her home screen. How could one word cause her entire body to heat up? She put the phone back into her messenger bag and walked inside with a smile on her face.


	5. Chapter 5

Veronica was standing in the kitchen preparing dinner when Alicia came home after work. Her and Tyler were only able to check out the pet stores within walking distance today so in order to look into Jerry’s Pet’s tomorrow they needed a car. Keith took his Crown Vic to track down a bail jumper so she was left with asking Alicia.

Alicia put her bag down by the couch and walked into the kitchen. “It smells delicious in here! What are you cooking?”

Veronica turned around facing Alicia with a big smile on her face. “Stir fry! And there are egg rolls in the oven! It should be ready in about five minutes.”

Alicia took a seat at the counter and began to study Veronica. She could tell Veronica was in an extremely good mood; this good mood was different from the last few days though, she seemed…happier. Her overall happiness was brighter than she had seen in her stepdaughter in a long time. There was also something else under the happiness that Alicia knew well, she was a mother after all and just decided to call Veronica on it. “So is this dinner you made me a ‘Mom I need fifty bucks’ or a ‘Mom, don’t get mad, just listen’ occasion?”

Veronica’s jaw dropped as she spun around. “How did you…”

Alicia just laughed cutting Veronica off. “I have raised two boys, Veronica. And only a parent can spot a sucking up dinner a mile away. So which one is it?”

Veronica smiled at Alicia. “More of a ‘Mom can I borrow the car tomorrow’ dinner. I know you have to work tomorrow so I thought maybe I could drop you off at work, take the car out for the day and then pick you up at the end of the day. If it’s too much trouble I can just wait for my dad to get home and move my plans back, it’s not a big deal.”

“You are welcome to take the car, there’s no need for you to stay cooped up in the house during your stay while the car sits in a parking lot unused. You can drop me off in the morning and I’ll have your father pick me up in the afternoon, that way you don’t have to cut your plans short.”

“Thank you, Alicia.” Veronica turned off the oven and stove, pulled the egg rolls out and dished up their plates full of stir-fry. She carried their plates over to the counter and placed the tray of egg rolls in between them to share.

Alicia got up and walked over to the fridge and poured them both a glass of iced tea. “So what kind of plans do you have tomorrow?”

Veronica took a big bite of her egg roll and smiled. “I went into the office this morning to help my dad with some filing and ended up taking a case.” At the pointed look on Alicia’s face that meant Keith wasn’t going to be happy she continued. “I know what you are thinking but this is different and I couldn’t say no. This seven-year-old boy came in today by himself wanting to hire Mars Investigations to find his missing turtle, Henry. Do you know him, his name is Tyler, he actually lives at the end of the street?”

Alicia smiled, glad that Veronica didn’t take an actual case because Keith would have blown a fuse and also because she did know of Tyler. “Yes, I know of him. I see him riding his bike up and down the street every once in awhile. I also work with his parents over at Kane Software. His mom works in Human Resources and his dad is a programmer, they are very nice people. I believe your dad helped them out with a small lawsuit last year over a false personal property injury case.”

Veronica nodded, “that’s what Tyler told me when he came in. Anyway, we went to two pet stores down by the boardwalk today and didn’t find Henry so I told him we could take a look at Jerry’s downtown tomorrow.”

Alicia took a drink of her iced tea. “I’m glad you are helping him, I know he loves that turtle. I never see him playing with any of the other kids in the neighborhood and that turtle of his is always close by.”

Veronica chuckled a little. “I was actually able to give him two new friends today.”

Alicia looked over at Veronica in wonder. “Really? Who?”

“Logan and I. I ran into Logan at lunch and we both promised Tyler to be his friends.” A little smile snuck onto Veronica’s face and she tried to hide it by looking down.

Alicia caught the smile though and that’s when she realized the look on Veronica’s face right now is the same look she caught Veronica wearing earlier when she came home from work. Veronica’s happiness was tied to Logan. Alicia smiled and filed this information away for later. She could push Veronica on it but knew there was a good chance she would shut her out. And also this was a realization that Veronica had to come to on her own. “How about we clean up these dishes and then we can watch one of those chick flicks your dad never agrees to watch?” Veronica nodded her head and they both began cleaning up the mess from dinner before settling in for a mother-daughter movie night.

* * *

Logan was sitting behind the wheel of his BMW convertible drumming his fingers rapidly while sitting at a red light. He was late. He was supposed to pick Rachel up and take her to dinner but he lost track of time while he was working. He couldn’t stop thinking about how much he enjoyed his lunch with Tyler and Veronica. He had never spent time around kids but being around Tyler just felt comfortable. He was a pretty cool kid and Logan was excited to teach Tyler how to surf. Plus spending time with Tyler was making it easier to see Veronica without feeling like he was on a date.

They had gotten a little intimate on the beach the other day but he let it go on because it was Veronica and he hadn’t seen her in nine years. It was just second nature to reach out and touch each other. Even back in their ‘Fab Four’ days when he was dating Lilly and Veronica was dating Duncan they were fairly intimate. Veronica would always curl up next to him on the couch in the Kane’s media room when they would watch movies. Logan would hang off the side of Veronica’s raft in the pool. They were best friends back then, Veronica is the one he told his secrets to, not Lilly or Duncan. So all the little touches they shared made him feel like he was fifteen again with Veronica back in his life.

He did feel guilty though, not for spending time with Veronica but for how little he had thought about Rachel over these past few days. He felt torn like he was being pulled in two different directions. Logan only had two weeks to spend with Veronica to try and catch up for nine years of silence but he knew he couldn’t just push Rachel aside until Veronica left. They have been together for almost two years and Rachel deserved better than that from him. So tonight he promised himself to focus and be in the moment with her during dinner, he owed her that much.

Logan pulled up in front of Rachel’s house and parked the car. He got out and walked up to her front door and rang the bell. He was hoping she wouldn’t be mad that he was late. Logan knew she wouldn’t be though, they have been together for a while and he has never seen her get angry and lash out at anyone. That was just who Rachel was, she was nice and friendly to everyone, she always saw the good in people and rarely got upset over the little things. He just wondered how many more free passes she had left to give him before she eventually had had enough and let him know how she really felt. He was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Years of living with Aaron had shown him how the smallest things could set a person off and he paid for it every time.

Logan shook that thought from his head as the door opened to reveal a smiling Rachel. He was off the hook for being late. Maybe she did just walk around with an endless supply of second chances to hand out to everyone. He took a moment to gaze over her head to toe. Her medium length brunette hair was curled down her back; she was wearing a light blue sundress with spaghetti straps and a pair of sandals. He looked back up at her eyes smiling. “I’m sorry I’m late.” Rachel was fairly tall so he didn’t have to bend over to kiss her. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to her lips.

After the kiss broke, Rachel smiled back at Logan. “It’s okay. I know you are trying to catch up on all the work you missed while we were in New York. Besides, I was still getting ready when we were originally supposed to leave so you being a little late actually worked out perfectly.” Rachel leaned in again and gave Logan a quick kiss. “Ready to go?” Logan nodded his head yes and they made their way down the driveway to his car.

* * *

 

Logan pulled into the parking lot of Stoneway; it was a nice steakhouse they ate at every few months. He got out of the car and walked around to open Rachel’s door and helped her climb out. They started walking to the entrance of the restaurant; Logan had his hand on her lower back guiding her across the parking lot. He leaned in close and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, “you look beautiful tonight.”

They walked into the restaurant and were seated at a small two-top table in the corner. The restaurant was cozy, all the lights were dimmed and each table had a pair of candles for extra light. The tabletops were covered in black tablecloths with white and red accented plates, bowls, napkins and silverware. Light music flowed just enough to provide background noise but not enough to distract from conversation.

The waiter came by shortly after they were seated and poured each of them a glass of wine before taking their orders. Logan motioned for Rachel to order first. “I will take the petite sirloin, well done, with green beans and a side salad with a vinaigrette dressing. Thank you!”

“I will have the grand sirloin, medium-well done, with a baked potato and steak fries.” Logan handed his menu back to the waiter and turned back to Rachel. “How’s the new group of kids?”

Her face lit up just like Logan predicted it would at the mention of her job. “Great! Well as great as teaching English to a bunch of college kids can go during the summer. I just finished grading all the final papers from the spring term so now I’ll have a week or so to relax before I’m swimming through new ungraded assignments again. I like the summer sessions; for the most part the students are there because they want to be not because they have to be. These are the students trying to get ahead in their programs so they are a little more motivated. It allows for great group discussions!”

The waiter brought out their food and quickly left so they could enjoy their dinner. Rachel looked over at Logan’s plate and laughed. “I don’t know how you can eat all those carbs!”

He gave her his classic smirk. “I stay active.”

A few minutes passed in silence as they were eating. “How was the rest of your weekend?”

Logan took a sip of his wine before responding. “It was really good. I worked a little and made a new friend.” A small smile graced his lips.

Rachel raised her eyebrows at his smile. “A new friend, huh, tell me more!”

“Remember yesterday when you called me and asked about my day? I told you I ran into an old friend, Veronica.” At her nod he continued. “Well today I ran into Veronica again down at the boardwalk at lunch and she had this little kid with her, Tyler. Anyway, Tyler asked me to join them for lunch and to be his friend.” He looked up and saw Rachel smiling at him. “I told him of course we could be friends. He seems like a great kid, I promised to teach him how to surf.”

Rachel looked at Logan with adoring eyes. She loved seeing his eyes light up at something as simple as making a new friend, and with a kid no less. She desperately wanted to have the marriage and baby talk with him. If he was going to be spending more time with Tyler she thought maybe Logan was trying to show her he was ready to start a family with her soon. She knew now wasn’t the time to have that talk, they needed more privacy than the corner the restaurant offered, but she was glad they were finally moving in this direction. “I think that’s really great, Logan. Tyler is very lucky to have you as a friend and as a role model.” She pushed her dirty plates to the edge of the table for the waiter to collect when he came by. “Oh, did you ask Veronica about the beach this weekend?”

“I forgot to ask her. I’m supposed to have lunch with her on Thursday so I guess I could ask her then if she would like to join us.” Logan did not know if it was such a good idea to bring Veronica along on Saturday. He didn’t know if he was ready for those two worlds of his to collide.

Rachel was beaming at this point. “Great! I can’t wait to meet her. Will she feel out of place if Dick and Mac come too, you can tell Veronica to invite a friend along if you think it would make it easier for her.”

Logan stacked up his plates. “No, uh…actually Veronica went to high school with all of us so she knows Dick and Mac. Mac is one of Veronica’s best friends.”

Rachel looked at Logan surprised but then just as quickly as the expression appeared on her face it was gone and replaced with a smile. “Oh…okay, well I’m glad she will already feel welcomed. And if she doesn’t surf at least she will be able to keep Mac company. I’m really looking forward to meeting her. I think it will be a very fun day for all of us.”

Rachel and Logan left the restaurant and he drove her home. He kissed her goodnight and told her he would see her on Friday before he got back in his car and drove home.

* * *

 

The next morning Tyler was sitting on the bottom step of the staircase inside his house patiently staring at the door waiting for Veronica to pick him up. He was all ready to go wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a navy blue Padres shirt with a matching hat and a pair of grey slip-on Vans.

Johnny, Tyler’s fourteen-year-old brother, was sitting on the couch in the living room watching Tyler pathetically. During the summer, since both their parents worked, Johnny was in charge of watching Tyler during the day and he hated every minute of it. “When is your babysitter supposed to get here? I was supposed to meet up with my friends ten minutes ago.”

Tyler turned his head to look at Johnny, his eyes were narrowed and his tiny fists were clenched at his side. “Shut up! Veronica is not my babysitter, she’s my friend!”

Johnny rolled his eyes and started texting on his phone. “Whatever…there’s got to be something seriously wrong with her if she’s friends with a seven-year-old.”

Before Tyler could burn a hole through Johnny with his eyes there was a knock at the door. Tyler jumped up off the stairs and flung the door open. His anger at Johnny quickly vanished and a huge smile settled on his face. “Hi, Veronica!”

“Hi, Bud.” Veronica could not think of anyone, besides maybe her dad, who was always so excited to see her. She liked the feeling. Tyler opened the door further to allow her to come inside. “Are you ready to go?”

Johnny watched Veronica walk in and his jaw dropped, she was nothing like he would have pictured. She was hot! He couldn’t believe his brother got to hang out with her and that she actually wanted to spend time with him either.

Tyler nodded his head. “Yeah, I just need to grab…” He was struggling to pick up an oddly shaped chair.

Veronica saw him struggle and took it from him with ease. “What is this?”

Tyler stood up straight and smiled. “My booster seat. I need it for the car. Come on, let’s go find Henry!” He walked toward the door, opened it and started heading for the car in the driveway.

Veronica started following Tyler but when she got to the door she turned around to face Johnny. With a pointed look she brought two fingers up in front of her eyes before pointing them back at Johnny. “When I get back, you and I are going to have a little chat about revenge and justice.” As Johnny’s eyes widened in fear she smirked and walked out of the house closing the door behind her.

* * *

 

Veronica was standing in the driveway with Tyler beside her looking at the booster seat in the backseat of the car like it was a bomb she was told to disable. Tyler looked up and saw Veronica’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration and started laughing. “Haven’t you ever done this before?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t have any brothers or sisters growing up and I never really babysat either so installing a car seat was a skill I didn’t need.” Veronica looked down at Tyler, “can’t you just ride in the car without it?”

He rolled his eyes and laughed. “No, I’m too small. If you crash I will get hurt.”

Veronica put her hands on her hips and faced him teasingly. “Excuse me? Are you critiquing my driving skills now? You haven’t even ridden with me yet.”

Tyler threw his head back laughing even harder. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sorry though. “Here, it’s easy I’ll show you how to connect it.”

“What!?” Veronica’s eyes widened in shock. “You knew how to install your booster seat this whole time?”

Tyler ducked his head trying not to laugh again. “Yeah.”

“Then why did you spend the last fifteen minutes watching me struggle?”

“It was funny.”

Veronica shook her head and started laughing. “Well, come on. Show me how to put this thing together so we can go find Henry.”

The mention of Henry motivated Tyler to install the booster seat. He connected all the belts and then climbed in ready to go. Veronica got in the front seat and pulled out of Tyler’s driveway heading toward the last pet store in Neptune, Jerry’s Pets.

After a few minutes of riding in silence Veronica decided to give Tyler some good news just in case they didn’t find Henry. “I talked to Logan yesterday after I dropped you off and he said that he would love to teach you how to surf.”

A big smile that reached all the way up to Tyler’s eyes was plastered on his face. “Really! When?”

Veronica smiled at his excitement and looked at him in the rearview mirror. “I don’t know, he didn’t say. Maybe this weekend if he is available.”

“I really hope he is!”

“Me too, Bud.” Veronica turned into the parking lot of Jerry’s Pets and parked the car. Jerry’s Pets had more of your typical household pets like lizards, birds, frogs, turtles and cats. She felt pretty good going into this store and hoped Henry would be here, she didn’t want to think about the look of disappointment she would see on Tyler’s face if they walked out of here empty handed.

Once they were inside they made their way to the turtle section. Just like yesterday, Veronica waited off to the side while Tyler checked the displays. Jerry’s Pets had about twelve turtles in stock ranging in different sizes, ages and species. A few minutes into Tyler’s search he jumped up with a smile on his face and pointed at the display. “Look Veronica, that’s Henry! He’s here!”

“Let’s go find someone to get him out for us.” Veronica smiled and held out her hand for Tyler to take. They walked to the front of the store and found a sales associate who would help them. Tyler told the man which turtle was Henry and placed him in a clear carrying case they could use to transport Henry home.

They took the carrying case with Henry to the checkout counter. Tony, the sales associate rang up their purchase. “That will be forty-six dollars and seventy-five cents. Cash or credit?”

Tyler’s face went blank as he started to panic. He didn’t bring any money how was he going to buy Henry back. He thought since Henry was already his turtle he wouldn’t have to pay for Henry, they would just give him back. Veronica’s hand on Tyler’s shoulder startled him and she bent down to be closer to his eye level and started speaking in a soothing tone. “It’s okay, Bud, calm down.” She wiped the tears from his cheeks with her thumbs. “I will pay for Henry.” Veronica handed over her debit card and signed the receipt.

Tyler’s arms wrapped around Veronica’s waist and squeezed her tight. “Thank you, Veronica.” He let go and grabbed the container holding Henry off the counter and cradled it in his arms.

Veronica and Tyler walked back out to the car. She held Henry while Tyler climbed up into his booster seat and buckled in before placing the carrying case on his lap. The car ride home was pretty quiet; Tyler was too busy smiling at Henry to notice they pulled into his driveway. When he lifted his head and saw he was home a small frown formed on his face. Veronica watched him through the rearview mirror and knew he didn’t like staying home with his brother during the day. “Tyler, if your parents don’t mind you can come back to my dad’s house with me.” His ears perked up at her offer. “Looks like you’re a pretty big Padres fan, I think there’s a game on this afternoon we could watch.”

Tyler wiggled in his seat doing a little happy dance. “Can Henry come too?”

Veronica laughed. “Yeah, Henry can come too.” She pulled back out of Tyler’s driveway and drove down the street a little further to Keith’s house.

* * *

When Keith and Alicia came home later that day they were a little surprised when they walked through the front door at the scene in front of them. On the couch in the living room, Veronica was seated and asleep with a blanket draped across her legs and her head was resting in the palm of her hand while her arm was propped up on the armrest. A little boy decked out in Padres gear was curled up into Veronica’s side with a big bowl of popcorn on his lap looking intently at the TV.

Keith stepped further into the living room and smiled at the sight. “Hello…you must be Tyler?”

Tyler’s head whipped around to meet Keith’s gaze and nodded. “Hi, Mr. Mars! I’m watching the Padres game, would you like to join me? It’s only the fourth inning. Veronica said you are the biggest Padres fan ever!”

Keith smiled and took a seat in the chair next to the couch. “I am! But it looks like you’re a pretty big fan too.” Tyler smiled big and nodded keeping his eyes glued to the game so he wouldn’t miss anything. “When did my daughter quit on you?”

Tyler turned and looked at Keith laughing quietly so he didn’t wake up Veronica. “She fell asleep after the first inning.”

Keith looked over at Veronica passed out and laughed. “She usually does. We will let her sleep a little while longer. Did you want to stay for dinner, Tyler? I think Mrs. Fennel is making baked macaroni and cheese tonight.”

Tyler’s eyes opened wide in excitement. “I can really stay?” Keith nodded his head and Tyler’s smile grew. “I’ve never had dinner at a friend’s house before…this is the best week ever!”


	6. Chapter 6

On Thursday morning the natural light filtering into the guest room through the blinds substituted as Veronica’s alarm clock. Since her only plans for the day were to have lunch with Logan she decided to take advantage of the morning and sleep in. Veronica had slept more in these past few days than she did in a typical week and it felt amazing. Joel was right, she was exhausted and overworked, pushing her into taking a vacation was just what she needed, but she would never admit that to him.

So far her trip back to Neptune was going better than she expected. She had gotten to spend time with everyone she planned on seeing at least once and would probably see them all a few times again before she left. Tomorrow evening was reserved for Wallace to attend his faculty dinner at Hearst. She was glad he invited her since she hadn’t seen him since she arrived home and they had had family dinner. She still needed to spend more time with Mac and her dad but wasn’t too worried about it; she still had a little over a week left in her stay.

It wasn’t lost on her that the two people she didn’t plan on seeing during this trip were the two people she had spent the most amount of time with. One was Tyler; she didn’t know him three days ago yet they had spent the last two days together. She had a feeling she would be seeing more of Tyler before she went back to New York. _New York_. How was she going to tell Tyler she was just here on vacation? He took a risk and asked her to be his friend and in a week she would have to leave him behind. She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow thinking about how difficult that conversation was going to be.

Logan was the other person she didn’t plan on seeing but now she was glad that he ran into her on the beach. Spending time with Logan made her heart flutter and her stomach flop. She thought about how different this trip might have been if he was single. Would she have been able to admit her feelings to him? Finally push down her fears and tell him how much she loved him and wanted a future with him more than anything else? If she did, would they get back together? Did he even love her anymore or did her running away all those years ago completely sever the ties for them being more than friends?

Unfortunately he wasn’t single, he was with Rachel. Veronica couldn’t tell Logan how she felt now that he was in a committed relationship. She would never put him in a position where he had to choose between his current girlfriend and her; it wasn’t fair to him or to Rachel. She spent her formative years behind a camera lens watching countless decisions just like this tear relationships and families apart. Hell, she watched her own family fall apart when her mother chose Jake Kane over Keith time and time again. She didn’t want to be anything like her mother. She had plenty of chances back then to tell Logan how she felt and she missed her opportunity. The next best option was to be the best friend to him she could be and enjoy every moment spent with him over the next week. Starting with today.

Veronica rolled out of bed and slowly made her way to the kitchen and made a small bowl of cereal to hold her over until lunch. When she finished eating she rinsed out her bowl and placed it in the dishwasher before moving to the bathroom to shower, leaving her about an hour to get ready before Logan came by to pick her up. She didn’t know where Logan planned on taking her for lunch so she decided to dress comfortably, throwing on a solid white V-neck t-shirt, blue jean capris and a pair of black Keds. She dried her hair, leaving it down and straight and applied a light layer of makeup.

The boy was punctual, the doorbell rang at noon sharp and Veronica grabbed her messenger bag before making her way to the front door. She opened the door to find Logan leaning against the porch column with his hands in his pockets smiling at her. He had on an olive green t-shirt that hugged his chest, a pair of fitted dark wash jeans and grey Nike Janoski’s. “Ready for lunch, Ms. Mars?”

Veronica nodded and smiled back at Logan. She closed the front door and locked it, then they made their way down the porch steps to his car parked along the curb in the street. “Where are you taking me?”

They stopped at the passenger side door and Logan opened it for her. Once she was seated he closed the door and walked around the car. The top was down on his BMW convertible so he didn’t have to wait until he was in the car to answer her. “I was thinking we could pick up lunch and take it down to the park by the marina and watch the boats come and go. What do you say?”

Veronica smiled and looked into Logan’s eyes. “That sounds perfect.” He smiled back at her and pulled away from the curb to go pick up their lunch. Veronica loved that Logan was an out of the box thinker. Most people when making lunch plans would just go to a restaurant like she did earlier in the week with Mac. She wouldn’t have been disappointed if he chose to do that, she just wanted to spend time with him and it didn’t matter where they went. Logan loved to personalize even the simplest things though, it showed how much he paid attention and wanted to create moments that meant something and would be remembered.

The blue BMW pulled into the drive thru lane of an In-N-Out. Logan ordered two double-double burgers, two orders of fries with ketchup and two chocolate shakes. He put the shakes in the front cup holders and gave Veronica the to-go bag of food to hold on to while he drove to the marina park.

Logan noticed that Veronica had gone quiet and looked over to find her lips pressed together in a thin line, nostrils flared and eyebrows knitted tightly while staring at the paper bag in her lap. This was a look he knew well and had seen hundreds of times since they were twelve. Logan smirked at the internal battle playing through Veronica’s head; he knew she was desperately trying to refrain from sneaking fries. “Everything okay over there, Veronica?”

Veronica looked away from the bag and steadied her gaze on Logan with a mock hurtful expression. “I don’t know what I did to you to deserve this form of punishment.” She pointed down at the paper bag in her lap and Logan laughed. “Seriously, Logan, handing me this bag of food, which smells delicious by the way, and expecting me to wait until we get to the park is a violation of the eighth amendment.”

At her teasing tone he chuckled. “Excuse me, Counselor, but in all honesty I never said you had to wait.”

Veronica shrugged her shoulders and made a display of sighing when she turned back to the bag. “It was implied.”

Logan looked her over and smiled. He missed this kind of back and forth banter with her. “Go ahead and have a fry, Veronica.”

Veronica scrunched up her nose considering his offer. Logan bit his lip at the adorable expression on her face. “No, no, I shouldn’t. If I have one fry, that one will turn into five and that will turn into the whole carton, yours and mine truthfully. Plus, I want to have a picnic at the park so I can wait…I can.”

Logan laughed at her rambling. “Are you trying to convince me that you can wait or yourself?” She looked over at him and stuck her tongue out at him. “Very mature. We will be at the park in two minutes, do you think you can control yourself until then?” Veronica nodded her head yes and kept her eyes on the road this time instead of the heavenly smelling bag of food in her lap.

When they arrived at the park Logan pulled into a parking spot under a big palm tree, so when they got back into the car after lunch the seats wouldn’t be too hot. They got out of the car; Veronica had her messenger bag slung over her shoulder, their food in one hand and her shake in the other. Logan grabbed his shake as well and moved to the trunk of the BMW to grab a small red cooler and a blanket for them to sit on.

Logan led Veronica across the grass and stopped at a shady spot under a few trees away from the pedestrian walkways, which also gave them an unobstructed view of the boats entering and leaving the marina. He set down the cooler and his shake to unfold and lay out the blanket. Veronica sat down on the blanket next to Logan, dividing up the food and eyeing the cooler. “What’s in the cooler?”

Logan smiled and stuck a fry in his mouth. “A few waters and your dessert, assuming you still have room for it after you finish eating.”

Veronica took a big bite of her burger and raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “Did you forget who you’re talking to? When have I ever turned down dessert? I assure you there will be plenty of room.”

He chuckled at her response. And she was right; in the sixteen years he has known her she has never said no to dessert…or food in general, really. Growing up Veronica often stole food from everyone’s plates and would shoot daggers at anyone who thought they could do the same to hers. Whenever he found himself sitting next to her he would slide some of his food onto her plate when she wasn’t looking just so he could see her smile when she turned back around. That little act of kindness usually resulted in a kiss on the cheek from her to show her thanks. “I’m glad you said that because I may have gone a little overboard and bought you more than one.”

Veronica’s eyes widened and a big excited smile spread across her face. She leaned over and placed a quick gentle kiss to his right cheek. “You’re a good man, Logan Echolls.”

Logan sat there as a small smile ticked the corners of his mouth up. He couldn’t believe she just kissed him on the cheek like when they were kids. He stole a look over at Veronica and she was back to eating her lunch showing no reaction to the kiss. The gentle kiss took him by surprise and he almost missed her next comment.

“I’m really glad you brought me here today. This park holds a lot of really great memories from when Lilly was… The last time I was here I was with her. It’s probably the only place left in Neptune where my memories with her haven’t been tainted.”

Logan met Veronica’s gaze with understanding eyes. The memories made at the Kane Estate were ruined when Lilly was found murdered by the pool. His pool house was a constant reminder of what led to her death instead of a place where they goofed around after a swim. And Neptune High was no longer a place where the illustrious Lilly Kane, Queen Bee, and he ruled the school but where the fall of the Queen turned him into his worst self and tormented the only girl he ever loved.

A small sad smile was on Logan’s face. “I didn’t know the two of you came here.”

“We only came here a few times.” A smile formed on Veronica’s face and she chuckled. “It was during the fall of freshman year when you and her were on one of your off periods and she was obsessed with sailors. Do you remember that?”

Logan laughed at the memory. “Yeah, she wore nothing but nautical themed clothing for a month, right after you two spent the weekend in San Diego for Fleet Week.”

“That was a good weekend.” Veronica smiled as she recalled the memory. “Jake had a business meeting in San Diego and we begged him to let us tag along so we could go over to the bay. We watched the Sea and Air Parade from the shore. Navy fighter jets were flying over our heads doing tricks in the air.” Veronica started to laugh and Logan smiled as he watched her and listened to the story. “At first Lilly wanted to find a hot Navy pilot to hook up with but when we found one and she didn’t understand all the pilot jargon she got bored and changed tactics.”

Logan laughed. “Of course she did.”

Veronica leaned back on her hands and stretched her feet out in front of her crossing her ankles. “We went on a tour of one of the Navy ships and that’s when Lilly decided she was going to find a sailor instead. She thought it would be more fun because she owned a yacht so at least they had boats in common.”

Curiously, Logan asked, “did she find one?” There was no longer any anger or jealousy over Lilly’s other flings. He had accepted that is just who Lilly was and moved on, she was gone and it didn’t change anything anymore.

Veronica looked over at Logan with a small smile. “No. When they found out we were still in high school they moved along pretty quickly. Lilly would not accept that as a good enough reason, of course, so even after our trip to San Diego she was still determined on finding herself a worthy sailor, further explaining the themed clothing you saw.”

Logan placed his hand on top of Veronica’s. “Thank you for sharing your Lilly memory with me.”

She looked deep into his eyes and smiled while turning her hand around to gently squeeze his. “You’re the only one I want to talk about Lilly with. We knew her better than anyone and all those memories we made together are special. It only seems right to share them with you.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes honoring the past, hands still clasped together watching the sailboats and yachts come and go. Their lunch had turned a little somber and Logan wanted to bring them back to some lighter topics. He removed his hand from Veronica’s noticing a flash of hurt in her eyes before it quickly vanished. He held up the red cooler in front of her. “Ready for your dessert?”

A big smile stretched across Veronica’s face as she sat up straighter. “Yes! What did you bring me?” She was bouncing around trying to sneak a peak into the cooler as Logan opened the lid slowly, so slowly it was almost cruel.

He laughed at her over excitement and pulled out a plain unmarked white box. Even without a label he knew she would know immediately what was inside. Logan smiled as he watched her face and thought he saw some moisture forming in the corners of her eyes. Teasingly he asked, “are you getting emotional on me, Mars?”

“Absolutely not.” Veronica blinked back a few tears, a little at the anticipation of tasting the dessert but mostly because Logan knew her so well. “But I have had several dreams about Luigi’s cannoli’s, it’s been four years since I last had one. Four long years, Logan!”

He laughed and peeled back the lid on the dessert box. “Well I guess it’s a good thing I bought you three.” Logan looked up and watched her face transform into pure happiness. He loved that he was responsible for putting that look on her face. _God, if only I could see that smile every day._

There were a total of four cannoli’s in the box. The ends of each fried shell were dipped in hard milk chocolate. Creamy white ricotta filling filled the shells and was topped off with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and sprinkled with powered sugar.

Logan held the box out so Veronica could pick the cannoli she wanted. She took a bite and her eyes rolled back into her head in delight, “oh my god…” He smiled at her as he ate his own cannoli.

When she was done he pushed the white box closer to her so she could grab her second cannoli. She picked one out of the box and pushed the last one back toward him. Logan looked over at her in shock. “Is Veronica Mars actually sharing a dessert with someone? The end of days are definitely upon us.”

Veronica smirked at him. “One time offer, Echolls. Take it or leave it.”

He thought this had to be some kind of trick. Veronica didn’t share food. Logan slowly picked up the last cannoli from the box watching her for a reaction. When there was none he moved the cannoli closer to his mouth and took a big bite continuing to watch her out of the corner of his eye. Veronica continued to eat her cannoli and Logan smiled.

Once they were finished with their desserts Logan picked up the cannoli box and collected all their In-N-Out wrappers from lunch and got up to throw them away. When he came back, Veronica was lying on her back on the blanket, knees bent, feet planted on the ground, one hand resting on her stomach and the other behind her head. Logan grabbed two waters out of the cooler, handing one to Veronica before lying down next to her on the blanket mirroring her position.

Veronica rolled her head to the side to look at Logan. “Thank you for lunch and the delicious dessert.”

“It was my pleasure.” Logan smiled back at her. “Did you find Henry yesterday?”

She looked back up at the sky watching the clouds roll by in between the gaps of tree branches. “I did. We probably should have checked Jerry’s Pets first but I didn’t have access to a car on Tuesday and Tyler was eager to start looking. But it worked out for the best to try Jerry’s last.”

“Why’s that?”

“If we went to Jerry’s first we would have found Henry right away and there would have been no need to search the pet stores along the boardwalk. We never would have run into you at lunch, you and Tyler would never have become friends and Tyler would not have been promised free surf lessons.”

Logan turned to face Veronica with a smirk. “I guess I’m lucky you were without a car.” He waited for a minute before continuing but didn’t turn away from her. “When should we take Tyler surfing?”

Veronica turned her head so she was looking Logan in the eyes. “We?”

“Yes, we. Even if you don’t go surfing you should still be there. I want you there and I’m sure Tyler does too.”

She smiled. “Okay. Since you asked so nicely, I’ll be there. When should we go?”

Logan smirked at her use of the word _we._ “How about Sunday? Surf Bro’s will be closed so I can be out all day. I could even ask Dick to meet us and help with the lessons.” He saw Veronica scrunch up her face at the mention of Dick and laughed. “I don’t have to invite him but having an extra pair of hands out on the waves to watch Tyler would be helpful and a little safer.”

“Fine, Dick can come too.” Veronica smiled at the same time as Logan. “And Sunday works for me, I don’t have any plans that day. I’ll have to find out if Tyler is free but I don’t think it will be a problem…on second thought I think you should ask him, he would love to hear it from you.”

“Do you have his number? We can call him right now.”

“I do.” Veronica sat up and went through her messenger bag until she found her phone. She laid back down on the blanket and dialed the home number she had for Tyler. Veronica put the phone in between her head and Logan’s so they could both talk and hear.

The phone rang three times before a woman’s voice came through the line. “Hello?”

“Mrs. Rickley, it’s Veronica Mars. I was wondering if Tyler was around to talk, I wanted to ask him something. I don’t know if he told you about me and my friend Logan taking him surfing sometime.”

“Yes, he hasn’t stopped talking about it since he came home last night. I haven’t seen him this excited about something in…I can’t even remember how long. I just wanted to thank you for befriending him, you and your friend Logan. It means a lot to Tyler and to me to know he has a few people to interact with and isn’t alone all the time.”

Veronica and Logan shared a look at her words. “He’s made quite the impression on us too.”

“Let me go find Tyler so you can talk to him. Just one moment…” Logan and Veronica heard some shuffling through the phone and heard Mrs. Rickley talking. “Tyler, sweetheart, there is someone on the phone for you.”

They heard Tyler’s voice come through the phone. “Hello?”

Veronica put her finger up to her mouth telling Logan to stay quiet. “Hi, Tyler.”

“Veronica!”

She smiled at his animated greeting. “I have someone with me right now who wants to talk to you.”

“Who?”

Veronica motioned for Logan to take over. “Hi, Tyler.”

“Logan!”

Logan smiled and looked at Veronica as she bit her lip at their adorable exchange. “Veronica and I want to take you to the beach on Sunday to go surfing as long as it’s okay with your mom.”

“Really! Let me go ask her right now. Don’t hang up, Logan!” Veronica and Logan laughed. They heard Tyler run and jump down the stairs and ask his mom if it was okay if he went surfing with them. “Logan, she said yes! She said yes! Now you can teach me how to surf!”

Logan was smiling big and because of that so was Veronica. “On Sunday I’m going to pick Veronica up first and then we will come get you around 10am. I’ll take you over to my shop and once we measure you I’ll get you your own wet suit and let you pick a surfboard.”

“Cool! I get my own surfboard!?”

“Yeah, just for you. Do you know how to swim?”

They heard Tyler giggle. “I can swim. I’m seven.”

“I just wanted to check, you couldn’t surf if you can’t swim.”

“I can swim, I promise.”

They both smiled and Veronica spoke up. “We will get you at 10am on Sunday, don’t forget, Bud.”

“I won’t! Bye, Logan! Bye, Veronica!”

“Bye, Tyler!” They both responded in unison.

Veronica hung up the phone but didn’t get up to put it away. “Do you think he was excited?”

Logan laughed. “Just a little.” He pushed himself off the ground and stood up holding his hands out to pull Veronica up off the ground too. “Are you ready to head back?”

She shook her head. “Right, you have to get back to work. I forgot.”

Logan folded up the blanket and picked up the cooler before they made their way back to the car. He put the picnic items into the trunk and climbed in behind the wheel. They rode in silence for a few minutes, both a little sad that their lunch had to come to an end. Logan looked over at Veronica and smiled as her hair was blowing in the wind from the car’s speed and the sun kissed her with a golden ray. She was beautiful.

Veronica caught Logan looking at her and smiled back at him as her heart sped up. “Thank you again for lunch. I had a really great time today.”

“We should do it again before you go back to New York.”

“I’d like that.”

Logan remembered the beach day on Saturday. Even though he was a little nervous about bringing Rachel and Veronica together his want to see and spend more time with Veronica, especially after their lunch went so well, outweighed his fear of the two women meeting. “There’s a…Rachel and I are going to spend the day at the beach on Saturday. Dick and Mac will be there too, if you want to join us. We’ll just be surfing and hanging out, BBQ some lunch. You can bring Wallace if you’d like.”

Veronica gave him a weak smile. She didn’t know if she wanted to spend a whole day watching Rachel hang all over Logan. “Wallace is leaving for a charity basketball game on Saturday, Hearst vs UCLA, so he won’t be able to come. I will think about it though and get back to you.”

Logan nodded. He wanted it to be her choice to come. He knew Rachel being there was probably one of the reasons Veronica was hesitating, he would feel the same if roles were reversed.

He pulled up in front of Keith’s house, got out of the car and walked around to open Veronica’s door. They walked up to the top of the porch and stopped. “Wait right here, I forgot I have something for you.” Logan ran back down the porch stairs and went to his trunk. Angling his body so Veronica couldn’t see and shifted a box behind his back. He closed the trunk and walked back toward the house.

Veronica was teetering side-to-side trying to catch a glimpse at what he had but she couldn’t see behind him. “What do you have there?”

Logan stood in front of Veronica and smiled. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”

She did what he asked and when she felt something placed in her hands she opened her eyes. Logan had placed a white unmarked box just like the one from lunch in her hands. Her face lit up and she threw her head back laughing. “More?”

He watched her open the box and inspect the cannoli’s inside. There were four more just like the one’s they ate earlier. “My parting gift to you. Try and save some for your dad and Alicia.”

Veronica looked at him with a small pout. “I will save them one and they can share it.”

He laughed at the serious look on her face that meant Keith and Alicia would definitely not be getting one cannoli each. “I guess that’s better than none.”

A few moments later all the joking was gone and they grew quiet. “Thank you again, Logan…for everything today.” She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him in an appreciative hug.

Logan held her in the hug for a few seconds longer. “You’re very welcome, Veronica.” He removed his arms from across her back and took a step away, meeting her eyes. “I should get back to work, wouldn’t want to leave Dick alone for too long.”

She chuckled, “that’s a smart decision.” Veronica moved a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’ll talk to you later and let you know about Saturday.”

He smiled as he took a few more steps away from her. “Bye, Veronica.”

“Bye, Logan.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Hey, V.”

Veronica could hear basketballs being dribbled in the background and forgot about Wallace’s late morning practices. “Hey, Wallace, is this a bad time? I can call you back later.”

“No, it’s actually perfect timing. Practice just ended so I’m walking out of the gym and back to my office. What’s going on? You’re not calling to cancel on coming with me to the banquet tonight, are you?”

The noise from the gym was gone and she could hear Wallace through the phone more clearly now. “Don’t worry, I’m still your plus one tonight. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Wallace was back inside the coaching offices off the hallway from the gym, shutting the door for more privacy in case any of his athletes decided to walk in after practice to talk. “So you were just calling to chat because you miss me? That is so sweet, V.” He knew there was more to this call than just catching up since they would be seeing each other in a few hours from now. He didn’t know what she would be calling about though. In the past, she always called him for favors but he hadn’t been asked to do her a favor since she left Neptune nine years ago and left all case work behind.

Veronica smiled into the phone at his comment. She was currently standing in the middle of a store at the mall perusing through racks of clothing. “I need your opinion on something actually.”

Wallace sat back in his chair with wide eyes. This was a new request. “With what?”

“Red or black?”

Wallace scrunched up his face in confusion; he had no idea what she was talking about. “Red or black, what, V?”

In a completely serious tone as if what she was asking his opinion on was obvious, Veronica responded, “lingerie.”

Wallace jumped up out of his chair as if it were on fire. “NO!...ugh, Veronica!” His hand covered his eyes as if he could wipe all memory of this conversation away. “Listen to me carefully, I know I’m your best friend and this is the sort of thing women talk over with their best friends but you…and I…I draw the line here. I’m also your brother in case you forgot and that is just wrong! Don’t you think this conversation should be had with Mac?”

Veronica smiled and tried to suppress her laughter at Wallace’s discomfort in this conversation. “I don’t wear lingerie for women, Wallace. I need a man’s opinion.”

Shaking his head and gagging slightly as the image of Veronica in lingerie flashed through his mind. “I swear to god, Veronica, please stop talking.”

She couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. “I’m just kidding, Wallace. I’m actually at the mall right now trying to find a dress for tonight. What are you wearing? I don’t want to match you or it will look like I’m your date and not your wingman.”

Wallace sat back down in his chair, relief washing over him as the talk of Veronica in lingerie was over. “I’m wearing blue and grey.”

Veronica took the two dresses she was trying to decide between back into the fitting room to try on again. “Okay, I’ll stay away from blue and grey. Thanks, Papa Bear, for all your help, I’ll see you tonight!”

“Bye, Veronica.” He quickly disconnected the call and leaned back in his chair to rub his eyes and try to picture something else to get his mind off the disturbing images their conversation had drawn up.

Veronica walked out of the fitting room, returning one dress to the rack and taking the other one with her to the shoe department to find a pair of matching heels. When she found the right pair she took the merchandise up to the check out counter to pay and then left the mall so she could start getting ready for the Hearst Faculty Banquet. 

* * *

 

It was approaching 6pm and Wallace would be arriving any minute. Veronica was standing in the guest bathroom adding a few finishing touches to her look. She curled her hair in light beach waves that sat on top of her shoulders. Her eyes were made up in dark liner and shadow and a sheer gloss covered her lips. Veronica was wearing a black one shoulder sleeveless dress that hugged her petite figure and stopped just above her knees with a pair of matching black heels.

It had been a while since she had gotten this dressed up for an event. When she went out with the girls from law school they either met up after work in their work clothes or changed into jeans right before. Even for dates she didn’t put in this much effort since the guys never lasted long anyway. Tonight she wanted to look nice, she would possibly be meeting Wallace’s boss and a few of his coworkers and she wanted to make a good first impression.

Once Wallace arrived, Veronica picked up her clutch and walked out to his car. Wallace was wearing a pair of grey dress slacks and a blue button-up dress shirt tucked into his pants and his sleeves were rolled up around his elbows. On their way to Hearst Wallace told Veronica all about the team’s progress in the summer boot camp and how excited he was to be coaching the charity game against UCLA tomorrow. He was going to stay the night at UCLA with Darrell since he hadn’t come home for the summer. Veronica shared how she ended up taking a case earlier in the week that had reconnected her with Logan and resulted in a new friend.

* * *

 

The Hearst Annual Faculty Banquet was held on the main football field. Wallace and Veronica entered Hearst through the gym where they had a make shift check in booth and a coat check closet. Wallace signed them in while Veronica checked her clutch so she wouldn’t have to carry it around all night. They walked down the hall to the double doors that would lead them out onto the football field.

The outdoor turf field was lit up with white lights strung across the entire area above their heads. There were booths along the sides of the field that housed different carnival like games such as ring toss, balloon darts, mini basketball hoops, washers, duck ponds, ring the bell, skeeball, milk bottle toss and photo booths. On one end of the field there were dozens of round tables in front of a buffet line and the other side of the field had a dance floor and a band setting up to play. There were already hundreds of faculty, staff, friends and family in attendance walking around the field to partake in the night’s fun.

Veronica’s eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of her. “Wow.”

Wallace smiled at Veronica’s taken back expression. “Not what you expected, huh?”

“Not at all. I thought we would just be sitting in the gym surrounded by stuffy old professors and complaining about how there wasn’t enough alcohol in the world to make the night better. Do they go all out like this every year?”

Wallace nodded his head. “Yeah, Hearst treats us pretty well. Gotta have something to keep us coming back to teach year after year.” He smiles and rubs his hands together. “Come on, let’s go get in line at the buffet before they run out of all the good food.”

Veronica and Wallace loaded up their plates with bread rolls, salad, chicken, pasta, mixed vegetables and cups of punch as they made their way through the buffet line. They headed over to an empty table and started eating while listening to the band as it began its first set of the night. Wallace nodded hello to a few people he knew passing by and explained who they were to Veronica.

A tall woman in an amethyst colored dress carrying a plate of food and a cup of punch stopped at the table where Wallace and Veronica were eating. They both looked up as the woman began talking. “Wallace, it is so nice to see you again!” Wallace smiled back at the woman and caught Veronica looking at him wagging her eyebrows suggestively. “And who is this beautiful girl you have brought with you tonight?”

Wallace looked over at Veronica and smiled while placing his hand on her upper back. “This is my best friend and step sister, Veronica. Veronica, this is Rachel Braxton, she teaches English here at Hearst.”

At that moment Logan walked into view behind Rachel also carrying a plate of food and punch. When he saw who Rachel was talking to he abruptly stopped walking. “Veronica.”

Veronica looked up at him and nodded with a small smile. “Logan.”

“Veronica?” Rachel looked between Logan and Veronica and realization dawned on her that the woman beside Wallace sitting in front of her was the same woman Logan had been hanging out with all week. A smile graced her lips. “Oh, you’re Logan’s old friend from high school.” She placed her plate and cup on the table and reached out her hand toward Veronica. “It is so nice to finally meet you. I can’t say I’ve heard all about you, all I know is that you had lunch with Logan yesterday, but hopefully we can get to know each other better tonight!”

Veronica watched Logan nervously take a seat next to Rachel at the table. It was clear that Rachel had no idea how much history her and Logan had between them. He chose to tell Rachel that she was an old friend and not an ex-girlfriend. Veronica didn’t know why Logan didn’t share any of that information with Rachel but knew she was not going to be the one to drop that bomb. That was his job as the boyfriend and so she decided to play along with the friend card Logan threw out. She looked back over at Rachel and smiled. “I hope it was okay that we went to lunch this week.”

“Oh, of course!” Rachel smiled up at Logan and patted his chest. “He could always use more friends around.” She then started eating her dinner that she grabbed through the buffet line. “Logan said you were just here visiting for the week, is that right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be here through next week and then I have to head back to New York.”

Logan remained quiet, cautiously watching and listening to Rachel and Veronica talk. He caught Wallace smirking his way and knew he was enjoying this rather awkward dinner at Logan’s expense.

Rachel’s level of excitement jumped when Veronica mentioned New York. “You live in New York? I grew up in Manhattan and moved out here to California for college. That’s actually how I first met Logan and Wallace. What do you do in New York?”

Veronica tried to act interested during Rachel’s story since she had already heard how her and Logan met when he ran into her on the beach earlier in the week. “I’m an Assistant District Attorney in Midtown.” She caught Logan smiling slightly, he was proud at what she had accomplished.

Rachel’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wow! That is a tough job!”

The small talk continued for a little while longer. Rachel had shared how much she loved teaching at Hearst and strived to be the kind of professor who made a difference in all her student’s lives. It took everything Veronica had to resist rolling her eyes as Rachel spoke. Veronica noticed that Rachel’s personality was naturally peppy. She displayed just about as much excitement as Tyler did when she talked. The only difference was that Tyler was seven and his excitement was adorable. Rachel’s excitement level at twenty-eight was not adorable, it was just annoying. Veronica didn’t understand how Logan, king of brooding, could tolerate this much pep everyday and not put his fist through a wall.

Wallace and Logan kept watching Veronica as Rachel droned on. The two of them were having a silent conversation about how long they thought Veronica could last before she snapped at Rachel. Logan decided to take pity on Veronica and interrupted the conversation. “Excuse me, ladies. But it looks like the dance floor is filling up now. Rachel, would you like to dance?”

Rachel’s eyes lit up and accepted Logan’s hand. “Yes, I would!” She looked back at Veronica and Wallace. “It was really great meeting you, Veronica. I’m sure we will catch up with you two again later tonight!”

As Logan and Rachel made their way to the dance floor, Logan looked back and caught Veronica’s eye as she gave him a silent ‘thank you.’ He smiled and nodded back at her and then led Rachel away to dance.

* * *

 

Wallace and Veronica left the round dinner tables and made their way over to the carnival booths. All the games were free of charge, courtesy of Hearst, so people could play as much as they wanted throughout the night. Many of the booths had stuffed animal prizes for every winner. Since most of the people in attendance were adults, if they did not want to keep their prize there was a special booth off to the side where people could donate their stuffed animal to a children’s charity.

They stopped in front of a booth that had six building blocks perched on top of a pedestal in the shape of a pyramid. The object of the game was to knock all six blocks off the stand by throwing three baseballs. Wallace decided to go first and the game attendant placed three baseballs in his hands.

Veronica stood next to Wallace leaning against the side post of the booth. “So, Rachel…she was, uh…chipper.”

Wallace smirked; he had been waiting for this conversation. He threw the first baseball in his hand toward the blocks and knocked the top three off the stand leaving three more. “Retract those claws now, girl. Rachel is nice, like Meg Manning nice. Just give her a chance before you write her off, she’s harmless.” Wallace threw another baseball knocking two more blocks down.

Veronica looked down at her heels, twisting the heel of one shoe along the turf, mumbling under her breath. “Psh…harmless…she’s with Logan that makes her a threat.”

Wallace heard Veronica’s soft-spoken comment. He knew, along with Mac, that Veronica did not cut all ties of Neptune out of her life because she had messed up and ruined a few good things. That was only a small reason and the one she told others and herself for why she never came back home. The main reason he assumed to be true became painfully obvious to him and Mac over the last few years. Veronica was still in love with Logan. And he was with someone else. It was senior year of high school all over again. “What was that?”

Veronica lifted her head up to look at Wallace with a big fake smile on her face. “Nothing. Hurry up and throw that last ball, Fennel, so I can play.”

Wallace gave her a wink and threw the last baseball he had knocking the last block off the table. Veronica rolled her eyes at his athletic prowess as the game attendant handed a blue snake stuffed animal over to Wallace. He hung the snake around his neck and switched places with Veronica.

Veronica was handed three baseballs as well. She threw the first ball and knocked over two blocks. Wallace was watching her with amused eyes. “You know, Supafly, I was very impressed by you at dinner.”

She glanced over at Wallace with disbelieving eyes before she threw her second baseball knocking one more block off the stand. “What are you talking about?”

Wallace just smirked. “Well, old friend from high school Veronica would probably have tasered Rachel, the overly peppy cheerleader, within thirty seconds of meeting her and told her where to shove it. But new high-powered lawyer Veronica sat there clenching her teeth without any violence or threats. It was fascinating. I think Echolls thought so too.”

“Please, I can be nice. You’re the one who called me a marshmallow. Besides, I can’t react that way anymore…especially not with Rachel. Logan is very protective of his women. Usually whoever disrespects his girlfriend ends up with a fist in their face. I know he would never physically hurt me or any woman but I think tasering Rachel would end our rekindled friendship and I don’t want that to happen.” A sly smirk slid across Veronica’s face. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I left my taser at my dad’s house, it didn’t fit inside my clutch.” A little pout formed on her face as she threw her last baseball missing all the remaining blocks.

* * *

 

Wallace and Veronica spent the next hour making their way through the carnival games. They played washers and skeeball; Wallace won four more stuffed prizes, a basketball pillow, two teddy bears and another snake, on the ring toss and mini basketball hoops. Veronica won three stuffed prizes, a teddy bear, a Ninja Turtle and a heart shaped pillow, on balloon darts, duck pond and milk bottles.

Wallace introduced Veronica to another faculty professor, Olivia Shaw, who taught Biology. She was a gorgeous woman with dark skin and curled medium length black hair wearing a red dress. It was obvious to Veronica these two were interested in each other. As his wingman, Veronica told Wallace to take Olivia around to the booths and hit the dance floor. He gave Olivia one of the teddy bears he won and took his other four prizes over to the children’s charity booth before wandering off with Olivia.

Veronica noticed that they were setting up the dessert bar so she walked over to the children’s charity booth as well and gave them her teddy bear and heart pillow, but held onto the Ninja Turtle so she could give it to Tyler. Veronica walked over to the buffet line and waited for the dessert to be served.

Hearst had set up a ‘Build Your Own Ice Cream Sundae’ bar for dessert. Veronica walked through the line and started her sundae off with a warm brownie. On top of the brownie she had a scoop each of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, chocolate syrup and marshmallow sauce were drizzled on next and a few maraschino cherries completed her sundae. With the Ninja Turtle stuffed animal tucked under her arm she picked up her sundae and a glass of water and walked over to a round table to eat her dessert.

She ate for a few minutes and smiled when she saw Wallace and Olivia playing games, having fun and laughing with each other. She hoped Wallace had finally found a nice girl to date. Veronica was zoned out watching Wallace across the field and she jumped a little when she heard her name being called.

Rachel had come up right behind Veronica slightly out of breath. “Oh, Veronica, thank goodness.” Rachel sat down in the seat next to Veronica. “Logan wants to go out and dance again but I’m too exhausted, I need a break. Will you go dance with him for a while so he doesn’t pout while I rest my feet? These heels are killing me.”

Veronica looked unsure, she didn’t think it was the best idea to be dancing with Logan, even though she wanted to. Not willing to sit here and keep Rachel company either she tried to make up an excuse about needing to be somewhere else but before she could voice her plan Logan walked up to the table.

Logan saw the Ninja Turtle stuffed animal sitting on Veronica’s lap and smiled. “Did you win that for Tyler?”

She looked down at the prize in her lap and smiled. When she looked up she saw Logan was also holding onto a Ninja Turtle stuffed animal. “Yeah. You?”

“Yeah, I thought I could give it to him before his surf lesson.”

Rachel looked up at Logan and grabbed his hand bringing his attention back down to her. “Logan, love, my feet are too tired to dance right now. Why don’t you take Veronica instead? I’m going to sit over there and mingle for a little bit.” Rachel stood up, placed one hand on Logan’s chest and her other hand squeezed around his bicep while she placed a kiss on his lips.

Veronica averted her eyes away from Rachel and Logan kissing, trying to keep her mask in place so no one saw the hurt she was feeling. When the kiss broke, Veronica looked up and watched Rachel walk a few tables over with a smile on her face as she joined a group of her coworkers. She was mentally kicking herself now for not bringing a bigger purse because she would love to knock that smug smile off Rachel’s face. Maybe she could find some piano wire instead.

Logan cleared his throat and snaked a hand around his neck nervously. He didn’t know why but having Veronica witness his PDA with Rachel made him uncomfortable, it made him feel guilty. “So, uh, do you want to check the turtles in with your bag so we don’t have to hold them while we dance?”

Veronica nodded her head and they made their way off the field and back inside the building to the coat check. They checked both of their Ninja Turtle stuffed animals under Veronica’s name. Logan told her that if they didn’t see each other when it was time to leave she could just bring both with her on Sunday when they picked up Tyler.

When they reached the dance floor, Logan felt like there was a wall between him and Veronica. The smooth camaraderie they shared throughout the week was gone and now the chemistry between them felt awkward at best. He knew the presence of Rachel had altered the mood and wondered if Veronica felt guilty about spending time with him this week after her comment at dinner asking Rachel if it was okay. He hoped to try and ease Veronica’s mind because he wanted to see her a few more times before she went back to New York and didn’t want to lose those chances.

The upbeat pop hit playing slowly faded out into a mellow slow song. Logan cursed the bad timing but also felt relieved because it was the perfect opportunity for Veronica and him to talk. He grabbed Veronica’s left hand and held it lightly while his left hand rested on her right hip. Instinctively, her right hand held on to his left shoulder allowing them to dance rather stiffly with a bit of space in between their bodies. Logan spoke in a hushed tone so Veronica was the only one who could hear him. “Are you okay?”

Being this close to Logan was making her not okay. He had on black dress slacks, a white button down dress shirt tucked into his pants and a black vest on top. He looked and smelled incredible and she was grateful for the small distance between them. Also, having Rachel near and listening to her talk earlier irritated Veronica. She responded sounding more harshly than she wanted, “your old high school buddy is just fine.”

Logan exhaled slowly and locked eyes with Veronica. “You’re mad that I introduced you as my friend instead of my ex-girlfriend?”

Veronica looked at Logan slightly frustrated. “I’m not mad, I like that we are friends. But introducing me as just your friend means Rachel doesn’t know that we dated in the past…and that’s what bothers me.”

“Why?”

Veronica inhaled deeply to allow more time for her to gather her thoughts. “Because not telling Rachel about us feels like you’re trying to hide me, like I’m the other woman and we are doing something wrong.”

Logan closed his eyes briefly and thought about what Veronica had said. He understood now how their mood shifted. If he had explained his history, Rachel would have known that while Veronica was an ex-girlfriend she was also a great friend long before that. If he totaled up all the different times they dated it probably would amount to only a few months versus years of friendship. So having lunch with Veronica while she was in town visiting would not seem wrong, just two friends catching up over nine lost years. However, he never told Rachel about Veronica and Veronica had picked up on that during dinner. Now she felt like they were sneaking around behind Rachel’s back.

Logan knew why that thought bothered Veronica. She spent her teenage years taking pictures of people’s infidelities. Lianne, Aaron and Lilly cheated repeatedly and hurt the people around them. He knew Veronica had never cheated and she didn’t want the reputation for it now. He never cheated on anyone again after he kissed Yolanda; the fallout from that kiss had haunted him for too long.

“We are not doing anything wrong, Veronica. Do you remember back to the beginning of high school when I was dating Lilly and you were dating Duncan?” When she nodded he continued. “There were many times when you and I would hang out together when Lilly and Duncan were busy. We weren’t being unfaithful, we were friends and friends are allowed to spend time together. Sometimes I hang out with Mac, we grab lunch alone occasionally and play video games because we are friends. You are not the other woman, I would never cheat.”

Veronica only saw truth in his eyes and knew he was right. “I know…it’s just…why didn’t you tell her about us then?”

Logan pulled Veronica a little closer as the dance floor got more crowded but their bodies were still not touching. “Honestly, she never asked and I didn’t volunteer the information. She’s never once asked about my past before I met her and I was fine with it. It’s not like she couldn’t find the information on the internet, if she did decided to ask I would have told her. I wouldn’t have lied. She just chooses to focus on the present and the future.”

Veronica took in Logan’s confession and thought about how different she and Rachel were. Rachel didn’t care about his past and Veronica tried to dig until there was no stone unturned. “I’m sorry.”

In a dramatic flurry, Logan pulled Veronica flush against him and angled his head to the side placing his ear closer to her. Teasingly as if he didn’t hear her, “excuse me, what was that?”

Veronica started laughing at his theatrics and pushed lightly against his chest. “I’m sorry I accused you of lying about our past and about trying to keep me a secret.” Logan smiled and reached into his pocket to grab his phone, releasing Veronica. “What are you doing?”

“This is a rare moment, I want to make sure I document it in my calendar for future reference.”

Veronica rolled her eyes at him. “I’m never apologizing to you again. You’re too much of a drama queen.”

The music started to pick up again now that more people were interested in dancing. Logan pocketed his phone and pulled Veronica closer now that the tension from earlier was gone. They stayed out on the dance floor for a few more songs before separating and saying goodbye.

* * *

Rachel had been mingling with some of the other professors in the English department. She had gotten up to refill her punch when she saw Logan and Veronica on the dance floor. She was happy to see Logan hanging out with someone other than Dick and Mac. As she was watching them dance she couldn’t help but notice how they looked at each other. They weren’t acting inappropriate but there was a connection between the two of them that ran deeper than close friends. Rachel wondered if Logan and Veronica had dated back in high school. She never cared much about what Logan did prior to dating her, it never seemed like it was her business to know. If Logan felt like sharing that part of his life with her he would.

She watched Logan pull Veronica closer as the two of them were laughing. Her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed slightly, she was jealous. Rachel couldn’t remember the last time, or at all, that Logan had looked at her with such adoring eyes. She knew Veronica would only be in town for one more week, so if she could keep Logan close and keep an eye on Veronica she shouldn’t have any problems.

* * *

 

Veronica found Wallace and Olivia over by the photo booth exchanging some of the photos they took together. The banquet was coming to an end so he said his goodbyes to Olivia and gave her a chaste kiss. He tried to avoid looking at the idiotic grin plastered on Veronica’s face after his kiss. They stopped at the coat check counter on the way out to pick up their belongings before getting in the car.

Veronica couldn’t stop smiling at Wallace. “So…you and Olivia.”

A blush crept up on to his cheeks and he smiled. “Yes, me and Olivia. I’m taking her out on a date next week.”

“I’m really happy for you, Wallace. Olivia seems very sweet.”

Wallace dropped Veronica back at her dad’s before he headed home himself. Veronica walked in to the house and saw her dad and Alicia watching a movie on the couch. She declined their offer to join them claiming she was too exhausted. Instead she walked back to the guest room and got ready for bed, falling asleep with a smile on her face.


	8. Chapter 8

On Saturday morning, Veronica woke up early and texted Mac. She decided to tag along with Logan, Rachel, Dick and Mac for a day at the beach. Since Mac worked during the week they had not gotten to spend a lot of time together during this trip. Veronica figured that Rachel, Logan and Dick would probably spend a decent amount of time out surfing and she could keep Mac company on the beach. Mac responded to her text saying they were all meeting at seven and since they would be there most of the day Veronica could show up whenever she was ready.

Veronica rolled out of bed and headed toward the kitchen still clad in her pajamas. When she opened the door to the guest bedroom leading out into the hallway she was assaulted with the smell of batter cooking. Keith and Alicia were dressed and standing at the counter preparing breakfast. Veronica inhaled the delicious smell deeply and exhaled with a big smile. “Good morning.”

Alicia turned around surprised to see Veronica up so early. She carried a large bowl of cut up strawberries, blueberries and bananas over to the table and poured three glasses of orange juice. “Good morning, Veronica. You’re up quite early today, any big plans?”

Keith handed Veronica a plate with three Belgium waffles and carried his and Alicia’s two waffles over to the table and sat down. Veronica’s face lit up when she saw the stack on her plate. “No, not really. I’m going to the beach today with Logan, Logan’s special lady friend, Dick and Mac.” Keith and Alicia shared a look at the hint of disdain and jealousy in Veronica’s voice when she mentioned Logan’s girlfriend but didn’t question Veronica on it. “Mac doesn’t surf and I doubt she’ll give it a try today now that she’s pregnant so it’s the perfect opportunity for us to hang out.”

Veronica walked over to the freezer, pulled out a tub of vanilla ice cream and carried it with her over to the table. Keith looked up when Veronica sat down. “Ice cream, really? It’s six-thirty in the morning, Veronica.”

“I’ll put some of the fruit Alicia cut up on top of it too if that will make you feel better.”

Alicia smirked at Veronica’s idea of making the meal healthy. Keith rolled his eyes and allowed her to continue adding the ice cream on top of her waffles. Lianne and him had made waffles and ice cream for dessert one night when Veronica was little. She had loved it so much that any time they had waffles, whether it was for breakfast or dessert it became a family tradition to add a scoop of ice cream. After Lianne left, Veronica refused to have the traditional dish and now he was happy to see her enjoying it once again.

Keith and Alicia had finished eating and remained at the table while Veronica continued eating her waffles. “Are you free tomorrow? I was thinking you and I could have a little daddy-daughter fun, you know, stir up trouble…be a pain in Lamb’s ass.”

Veronica smiled at Keith. “I can’t, I promised Tyler I would be there to cheer him on during his first surf lesson with Logan.”

Alicia stood up and started clearing away the dirty dishes. “That is very sweet of you, I’m sure he will do much better with his own personal cheerleader on the sidelines.”

Veronica scrunched up her nose at being called a cheerleader. “Really, it’s more like moral support.”

Keith thought Veronica agreeing to be at the surf lesson had more to do with Logan than Tyler. He had watched Logan hit rock bottom after Veronica left Neptune before rebuilding his life. Logan had matured and grown up over the years and Keith was proud that Logan was able to make something of himself despite who his parents turned out to be. He still did not want Veronica getting close to Logan. The two of them had always had such a volatile relationship in the past. Even though he did not know all the details or understand the deep connection they shared, he did see all the heartbreak Veronica experienced every time they cut ties and he didn’t want her to have to go through it again.

He finished the last of his orange juice and leaned back in his chair. “What about Monday?”

Veronica cleared her plates and took them to the sink. “I’ll pencil you in.”

Keith smiled and stood up. “Good! I’ll go into the office tomorrow and move all my appointments to Tuesday. Better come up with stuff for us to do because you are stuck with me all day on Monday, kid!” He kissed Veronica on the top of the head and grabbed his briefcase before heading out the door to go to work followed by Alicia, who was going to help him file closed cases and mail out invoices.

Veronica headed back to the guest bedroom and jumped in the shower. When she got out she put on the red strapless bikini that she had worn to the beach earlier in the week. Covering up the swimsuit with a navy blue sundress and a pair of flip-flops. She packed a beach bag filled with sunscreen, a book, her camera, a towel, sunglasses, phone and wallet.

She skipped putting on makeup or drying her hair since she was bound to get in the ocean at some point. After she brushed her teeth she placed a spare ponytail around her wrist and grabbed her beach bag. Veronica picked up the car keys from the table by door that Alicia had left for her and made her way to the beach.

* * *

 

Veronica pulled into the parking lot near the boardwalk and parked. She grabbed her beach bag and made her way down the beach to find the group. Mac was the only one sitting on the beach, the other three were already out on the water. “Hey, Mac!”

Mac looked up and smiled at Veronica. “Hey, Veronica! I’m glad you decided to come so I didn’t have to sit here all day by myself and come up with excuses about how much I don’t want to learn how to surf.” She was still clothed in a t-shirt and shorts over her swimming suit sitting on a beach blanket.

Veronica took off her flip-flops, dropped her bag next to her and sat next to Mac noticing the pack of crackers and water in Mac’s lap. “How’s the morning sickness?”

Mac rolled her eyes in frustration. “It’s not just in the mornings, but today has been better so far than this past week.”

“Have you told your parents yet?”

Mac popped a cracker into her mouth before responding. “No, we decided to wait to tell anyone until after the first trimester, so around the end of July. The only ones who know are you, Logan and Rachel.” Veronica scrunched up her face at the inaccuracy of Mac’s statement. “What? ...Who did you tell?”

Veronica exhaled quickly. “My dad and Alicia know too.” At Mac’s raised eyebrows Veronica tried to explain. “I had to! My dad found the pregnancy test in the trash and thought I was the one pregnant. Talk about an uncomfortable conversation.”

Mac started laughing at Veronica as she pictured how that talk went. “Oh man, I would have loved to have been a fly on that wall to see Keith Mars’ face at thinking his single daughter was pregnant!”

Veronica started laughing right along side Mac. “Laugh it up, Q. You may not be single but you can still see that same look soon enough on your own parent’s faces.” That statement got Mac to stop laughing instantly, which only made Veronica laugh harder.

The sun was heating up the beach and the two friends decided to work on their tans. Veronica slipped her navy blue sundress off revealing her red bikini. Mac tore off her shorts first and hesitated briefly before she pulled her t-shirt away to reveal a black tankini.

Veronica looked over at Mac and her eyes immediately fell to her breasts. Her eyes were wide and her jaw dropped as she stuttered trying to find her words. “Uh…Mac…what…how…wow…”

Mac waved her hand in front of her chest and rolled it up to her face to grab Veronica’s attention. “My eyes are up here, Veronica.”

Her gaze finally reached Mac’s eyes and the amazed and shocked look remained on her face. “I’m sorry, it’s just that…wow.”

“Another perk to being pregnant. My breasts blew up like balloons this week and I spill out of everything. I had to go to the mall and buy all new bras! I made Dick pay for them since this is all his fault.” Sarcasm and frustration dripped off her words. “Of course Dick had no problem forking up the money, he thinks it’s super great that his girlfriend has playboy boobs.”

Veronica smirked in Mac’s direction trying to hold in her laughter. “Oh come on…you know how excited he gets about new toys.” Mac glared at Veronica making her laugh at the situation.

* * *

The waves during the first hour of the day were decent in size and fairly consistent allowing those out in the water to surf continuously. Soon after the waves died down a bit and came in fewer and farther in between creating a temporary lull in activity. Logan, Dick and Rachel stayed out in the water, straddling their boards taking advantage of the down time to rest and catch their breaths before the lull broke.

Dick ran his hands through his hair trying to shake out the excess water and to keep it off his forehead. He squinted as he looked back at the beach trying to spot Mac to make sure she was still doing okay. He found Mac lying on the beach blanket they set up this morning in just her swimming suit and Dick smiled.

This morning Mac had thrown on an oversized t-shirt over her suit. He knew her latest physical development due to her pregnancy made her self-conscious because she wasn’t used to the size and extra attention. He told her she was beautiful as often as he could hoping she would really believe him and not think it was something he had to say. Dick meant every declaration wholeheartedly, he joked around a bit and tried to keep it to a minimum but in all honesty it didn’t matter what size Mac was, he loved her the same.

Dick recognized the petite blonde lying next to Mac. He was happy to see Veronica spending time with her and that she made Mac feel comfortable enough to take off the oversized shirt and enjoy the gorgeous day. “Dude, it looks like Ronnie joined Mac on the beach.”

Logan and Rachel looked away from each other and turned back to the beachfront where they left Mac. From way out here on the water, Rachel couldn’t really tell that the other woman with Mac was Veronica since they were lying down. The small barely there smile that formed on Logan’s face was enough to convince her that Dick was right. “I didn’t think she was coming today.”

Logan ducked his head and splashed some water on the back of his neck before returning his gaze to Veronica and Mac. “Neither did I. She hadn’t mentioned coming along since I asked her to join us so I thought her silence was her answer.”

Since Logan was floating in between Dick and Rachel, Dick paddled a little closer so he could join in on the conversation. “Have you met Ronnie, Rachel? She’s really cool, you’ll like her…or maybe you won’t. Most people don’t really like Ronnie at first but give it time and she will grow on you like a fungus.”

Logan looked over at Dick with raised eyebrows. He had never heard Dick describe Veronica in a somewhat nice way. Usually Dick only talked nice about Veronica when Logan was dating her because any trash talk was not tolerated and ended in black eyes. “Really, Dick, you think Veronica is cool? Since when?”

“Uh, since last weekend when I hugged her and she didn’t tase me. That’s what I would call true friendship. I’ve finally been accepted into Ronnie’s sacred circle.”

Rachel’s eyes widened in surprise as she took in this new tidbit about Veronica. “She tases people?”

At the same time, Logan said “no” and Dick responded “yes.”

Logan glared back at Dick before turning to Rachel to explain. “What Dick meant was, yes, Veronica carries a taser and has used it before but she only uses it for self defense purposes. She doesn’t walk around tasing people for self enjoyment.”

Rachel was trying to process all the information they were sharing with her. She thought maybe it was time to do a little research on Veronica, to be prepared for what she was up against and how to handle her. There was clearly more under the surface that she needed to know especially if Veronica was going to start popping up in their lives more often. “Why would Dick be afraid of Veronica tasing him for giving her a hug? I thought you were all friends, would she really tase her friends?”

Dick splashed some water up on his wet suit to keep it cool. “Ronnie’s not the touchy feely type, but I knew she wouldn’t tase me. Back in high school I would never have pulled a stunt like that, she would have dropped my ass so fast…but it’s been over a decade and we have both matured enough to be civil. Plus, now that Mackie’s pregnant it’s like an automatic truce, Ronnie would never hurt her niece’s father. I’m in Ronnie’s special club now and she doesn’t let anything happen to her friends. She’s like a Mama Bear when it comes to her cubs, she’ll stop at nothing.”

“What does that mean, she’ll stop at nothing?”

Before Dick could reply Logan intercepted trying to drop the conversation before it could start. He looked behind him and paddled out in front of Rachel and Dick so he could turn his board around to face them. “Looks like the waves are picking back up. Let’s surf for a little bit longer and then we can head back to the beach to get started on lunch.”

“Sounds good, dude. Mac will be getting hungry soon and Ronnie’s probably already starving.” Dick and Logan turned and started paddling further out to catch the waves rolling in.

Rachel hung back for a moment and watched them paddle out. Logan obviously did not want her thinking anything bad about Veronica. When she poked around a little trying to encourage them to share he immediately tried to paint Veronica in a positive light or he shut down the conversation. She was more curious now than ever and if Logan was not going to share she would just have to find out more on her own.

* * *

 

Veronica and Mac were walking along the beach. The sand was too hot to walk on so they stayed close to the water’s edge letting the water rush over their feet along the way. They occasionally stopped to pick up beautiful seashells left behind after each swell. Veronica also brought her camera along to take pictures of the beach, the busy boardwalk and the waves hoping to get some shots she could hang on the wall in her apartment back in New York. When Mac bent down to sift through seashells Veronica turned back toward the water and captured a few action shots of Logan and Dick surfing.

They walked further down the beach falling into a steady conversation. “When are you due?”

“February third.” Mac smiled at the ground. “Dick is convinced we are having a girl. We both don’t care either way, we just want a healthy baby but he is confident it’s going to be a girl.”

Veronica smiled at Mac seeing her love for the unborn baby already swelling inside her. “You two will be great parents. I was a little worried at first about Dick being a dad but when I ran into him at Surf Bro’s the other day…he was so excited. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy before. Any kid would be lucky to have you and Dick as parents.”

“What about you?”

Veronica looked over at Mac lost. “What about me? Do I want you and Dick for parents or do I think you’re going to have a girl?”

Mac rolled her eyes knowing the conversation they were about to have would be just as hard for Veronica to grasp as when Mac told her she was dating Dick at Cho’s pizza. “No. Do you want kids?”

Veronica looked down at the water rushing over their feet. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“Because we are at that age, my friend.”

Veronica continued to stare down at the ground as they walked down the beach. “I really don’t know. I never wanted to get married or have kids.”

Mac smiled even though Veronica wasn’t looking at her. “But?”

Veronica blew out a breath and raised her head so she could face Mac as they talked. “But after spending time with Tyler this week, the little boy with the turtle I told you about, it doesn’t seem like having a kid would be so bad.”

Mac was getting excited as this conversation progressed and was going better than she thought it would. “As long as it was with the right person?”

Veronica nodded her head and spoke quietly. “Yeah.”

“Someone like Logan?”

Veronica whipped her head toward Mac with her eyebrows furrowed together. Both girls came to an abrupt stop now facing each other. “What? Why would you say someone like Logan?”

Mac realized she spoke to soon; this was not going to go as well as she thought. Her voice was soft and sincere as she spoke knowing Veronica had kept her feelings to herself for the past nine years. “Because it is obvious to anyone who has a brain that you are still in love with Logan.” At Veronica’s raised eyebrow challenging Mac’s observation she continued. “Your stealth skills are not what they used to be, Bond. Do you really think I am at all interested in the seashells on the ground? No, I’m not. But I’m pretending I am so you can continue lusting after and taking pictures of Logan.”

Veronica placed her hands on her hips, looked down and shook her head back and forth trying to clear Mac’s notion while digging her toes into the wet sand. She wasn’t denying the fact that she was still in love with Logan. Mac was right, she was. She just wasn’t ready to admit that to anyone yet. “I’m just his friend, Mac. And he’s with Rachel.”

“Are you trying to tell me that if Logan was single right now, not dating anyone, that you and him would still be ‘just friends’?”

Veronica took a deep breath and let it out. Her face dropped like she lost the fight in her. “He clearly doesn’t have feelings for me anymore.” The flame inside her suddenly ignited and she started to rant. “Have you seen who he’s dating? Rachel is nothing like me. She’s brunette and tall and doesn’t dig into his life demanding answers or drive him crazy to the point where he resorts to violence. She’s genuinely nice to everyone and is always happy. I bet she has a lot of friends and if Logan’s parents were still around they would love her. She’s the kind of girl every parent wishes their son would marry. I can’t compete with that. He has upgraded and moved on.” Veronica walked away from the water and plopped down on the dry sand.

Mac followed Veronica and sat next to her. “That’s bullshit and you know it. You’re right, that is exactly why he chose Rachel, but it’s not for the reasons you think. He couldn’t have you, so he found a girl who’s nothing like you so he wouldn’t have to face the pain of seeing traits of you in someone else. It’s the Piz Effect.”

Veronica looked at Mac confused. “Piz Effect?”

Mac smiled. “You remember Piz from Hearst. Wallace’s roommate. Followed your every move with puppy eyes. Worshipped the ground you walked on. Your sex tape buddy.”

Veronica glared at Mac and rolled her eyes. “How could I forget…what does Piz have to do with Logan and Rachel?”

Mac smirked. “Well the first time this situation happened you started dating Piz, so Wallace and I called it the Piz Effect…”

Veronica was surprised for a minute and interrupted Mac. “Wait a minute. You and Wallace talk about my love life? Is this a regular thing?”

Mac shrugged like it was no big deal. “It makes for good dinner table conversation. Anyway, back to the Piz Effect. After you and Logan broke up, you could have dated any guy, but you chose Piz because he was the least like Logan in appearance and personality. You didn’t want to be reminded of what you lost so you went with the option that allowed you to forget about Logan. Or at least not see him in Piz when the two of you were together. Rachel is Logan’s Piz.”

Veronica and Mac stood up and started walking back to their belongings on the beach. They walked in silence neither one feeling the need to fill the moment with conversation. Mac was happy that she finally voiced her opinions and now she was letting Veronica process.

Veronica went back over everything Mac had said. Mac was right in that she only dated Piz because he was not at all like Logan. She didn’t love him; there was no spark or passion. Being with Piz was easy and required little effort, which ultimately made the relationship boring. She was sure that if she hadn’t broken up with him before her FBI Internship they would have broken up soon after. They weren’t destined to be long term; there was no place for him in her future. Piz was just a momentary distraction just like the guys she had dated in New York.

She was reluctant to believe Mac’s words about Logan. She wasn’t convinced that Rachel was Logan’s Piz. Veronica knew how Logan coped. He and Lilly dated off and on for two years and before he started dating Veronica he was with a plethora of girls. None of them stuck around for more than a few weeks at most. Those girls were Logan’s Piz, all momentary distractions to ease his pain. Rachel was different though. Logan and Rachel had been dating continuously for two years and counting, which was not considered a momentary distraction in Veronica’s book; it was more serious than that.

Veronica pushed all those new thoughts to the side for now, determined to not let it ruin her day. It didn’t change anything, Logan and Rachel were still together and she wasn’t going to intentionally try to destroy their relationship because no one would walk away a winner in that scenario.

* * *

 

When Mac and Veronica arrived back to the blanket the other three were already preparing lunch. Dick was cooking hamburgers and hotdogs and a veggie burger for Mac on the portable grill. He placed a hamburger on everyone’s plate and then a hotdog on his, Logan’s and Veronica’s plates as well. Logan pulled out a container of potato salad and a container of cut up watermelon slices from a cooler. He also handed each of them a cold bottle of water.

All five of them sat on the blanket eating their lunches and making small talk. When everyone was done eating Rachel got up to collect everyone’s trash and threw it away. Logan had his legs stretched out in front of him leaning back on his hands. Rachel came back over to the blanket and sat in between Logan’s legs resting her back against his chest. He leaned in a little closer to her to support her frame.

They all listened to Dick recap the morning surf session to Mac and Veronica. Rachel had been mostly quiet since they came back in from the water, but no one seemed to take notice. She had listened to all the stories the four friends had shared but she was mostly focused on observing Veronica. Rachel kept a constant hold on Logan throughout the afternoon whether she was holding his hand, playing with his fingers, sitting in his lap or giving him soft kisses.

Veronica tried to keep her eyes from wandering over to look at Logan. It was easier to look away after lunch when Rachel was coiled tightly around him. Her jaw tightened when Rachel started running her hands up and down Logan’s thighs. She wondered what excuse she could use to ditch the rest of the beach day without feeling guilty about leaving Mac. Before she could think of something reasonable Dick had presented her with the perfect out.

“Ready for your nap, Mackie?”

Mac was sitting in a low beach chair trying to keep her eyes open. “Yeah, I think I’ve had enough sun for today.”

Dick stood up and pulled Mac out of the chair. “I’ll take you home and then I’ll come back to pick up Logan and Rachel.”

Veronica spoke up before the opportunity passed. “You know what Dick, I’ll drop Mac off. We can take the beach supplies with us back to your house so you can stay and surf for the rest of the day.”

“Are you sure, Ronnie?”

Veronica nodded her head and smiled, glad to be getting away from the Logan and Rachel grope fest. “Absolutely. It will give me more time to hang with Mac.”

Logan and Dick helped them pack up the cooler and fold the blanket. Dick gave Mac a hug and a kiss before bending down to press a kiss to her stomach. “Bye, Squirt, enjoy your nap with mommy.”

Mac picked up her bag and the beach blanket. Veronica placed her bag on her shoulder and bent down to pick up the chair and the cooler not letting Mac carry anything heavy but Logan beat her to it. “I’ll help you take this out to the car.”

Veronica smiled at Logan. “Thank you.” The three of them made their way up the beach to the parking lot where Veronica’s car was parked. Mac climbed into the passenger seat while Logan and Veronica packed up the trunk. They closed the lid and stood by the door. “Thank you for inviting me today. I had a good time catching up with Mac.”

Logan nodded and stepped forward to give Veronica a quick hug. “I will pick you up tomorrow around ten for Tyler’s surf lesson.” He started to back away as she moved to the driver’s side door. “Don’t forget to bring the Ninja Turtles.”

Veronica laughed and smiled. “I won’t. I can’t wait to see his face when he sees them.”

Logan walked down to the beach to grab his board before meeting up with Dick and Rachel in the water. Veronica pulled out of the parking lot and followed Mac’s directions on how to get to Dick and Logan’s house. Once she dropped Mac off she headed back to her dad’s house, ready to call it a day.

* * *

 

Later that night, Logan, Dick and Rachel walked into the living room of Logan and Dick’s house on the beach to find Mac asleep on the couch in her pajamas. Dick picked her up, said goodnight and carried Mac off to his room trying not to wake her.

Logan and Rachel were standing alone in the living room. “Do you want to stay here tonight or should I drive you back home?”

Rachel smiled at Logan and moved closer to him wrapping her arms around his waist and dropping a kiss on his lips. “I’ll stay here. I brought extra clothes with me.”

He led her back to his bedroom so they could each take a shower and brush their teeth before bed. Logan changed into a pair of boxers and a t-shirt and Rachel walked out of the bathroom wearing a small sleep gown. She crawled into bed next to Logan and snuggled into his side. “Goodnight…” A yawn slipped out of her mouth as her eyes grew heavier. “I love you.”

“Goodnight, Rachel.” His hands automatically circled her waist and they both drifted off to sleep exhausted from an almost full day of surfing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's your lucky day! This chapter ended up being over twice as long as the other chapters.

Logan woke up on Sunday morning with his back to Rachel. He looked over his shoulder and saw that she was still asleep and lying on her back. Slowly, he pulled back the covers and slid out of bed, walking down the hallway to start a pot of coffee. While the coffee was brewing Logan went back to his bedroom and walked into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him.

He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower. Logan stood in the middle with his eyes closed just letting the warm water beat down on the back of his neck and back while the room filled with steam thinking about his life.

He wasn’t unhappy with his life, there were just a few things missing from it that he wished he had. He had built a successful business that he really enjoyed running and didn’t feel like work. He didn’t have a ton of friends, no longer associated with the other 09ers in town, his close circle consisted of Dick, Mac and sometimes Wallace and that was enough for him. The problem was the void in his life that he could never fill and left him feeling lonely.

Loneliness was an odd concept. He had been surrounded by people his entire life but most of the time he was alone. No one knew the real Logan Echolls; they only knew Logan Echolls, the son of Hollywood’s biggest stars. That was until they moved to Neptune. Moving didn’t stop the fake loving family front they played to the media or stop people from wanting to be with him for only his fame and fortune but it was the first time he didn’t feel alone. The first time he made a true friend, a girl who wanted to be with him because he was intelligent, caring and made her laugh. She didn’t care who his parents were or how much money they had, she just wanted to be his friend and he had loved her for that.

Nine years ago that girl had walked out of his life and he was left alone yet again. Veronica leaving Neptune had destroyed him; the complete loss of communication between them was what made her leaving so unbearable. At first he mourned the loss, he partied heavily with drugs and alcohol almost every weekend. He stopped attending class and went looking for a fight just to feel a physical connection again and as self-punishment for all the mistakes he had made.

After a few months he realized living his life like a party every night would end up killing him and he couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t want to end up like his mother, he wanted to be better. His new perspective was mostly for himself, he wanted to prove to himself that he wasn’t the worthless waste of space Aaron had always claimed he was. Logan sobered up and threw all of his focus back into school. Studying every night, turning in all his assignments and attending class made it possible for him to eventually earn his Bachelor’s in Business with top grades.

Buckling down at Hearst was how he met Rachel; they had shared an English Lit class and occasionally studied together. During undergrad there was no romance between them they were just strictly friends. Outside of working on school projects and studying they mostly hung out in group settings and when they graduated and went their separate ways it wasn’t a big deal, it was accepted that they weren’t lifelong friends.

College was a good distraction from his loneliness. He was too busy with classes to notice that he didn’t go out much. Dick and Mac kept him from being alone physically and the three of them formed a tight bond. He went on a few dates here and there to keep Mac and Dick from being too concerned about him but made no effort to start a relationship.

Once he and Dick had Surf Bro’s up and running he had more free time, which led to him feeling isolated and alone again. A little over two years ago, Rachel had stumbled back into his life when she moved to Neptune for work and signed up for a surf class through Surf Bro’s. They spent some time catching up with each other and started spending more time together on a regular basis. Logan wasn’t even sure how it happened but their friendship had turned more romantic and he welcomed the change because he didn’t feel lonely anymore.

The first year of their relationship felt like a honeymoon phase, everything stayed light and fun, it was never complicated, they were taking it very slow. Until about six months ago, a year and half into their romantic relationship, Logan was dropping Rachel off back home after date night and she had sprung three little words on him, ‘I love you.’

It had been six months since her first declaration of love and he still could not tell her those three words back. It wasn’t that he couldn’t say them, he told Dick and Mac that he loved them but it was different because they were his friends, the family he chose. He cared about Rachel a lot but he couldn’t tell her what she wanted to hear because those words didn’t belong to her, or any other woman, and it would be a lie. They would only ever belong to a petite blonde who stole his heart so many years ago.

Logan knew it was selfish to stay with Rachel to avoid being alone but she seemed happy with where they stood. She never complained or demanded more from him in their relationship.

* * *

 

Logan finished his shower and turned off the water. He grabbed a towel off the rack and wrapped it around his waist before moving back into the bedroom. Rachel was still asleep now curled up on her side lying on top of Logan’s pillow. He moved to the closet and pulled on a pair of navy blue board shorts and a plain white t-shirt.

Rachel was starting to stir when Logan came back into the room. She stretched out her arms and rubbed the sleep from her eyes noticing that Logan was already dressed and showered. She watched him sit on the edge of the bed to put his shoes on and she frowned. “Where are you going? I thought it would be fun to spend the day together.”

Logan finished tying his shoes and moved around the room grabbing a few items like his wallet, keys and phone to throw into his pocket. “I’m giving Tyler his first surf lesson today.”

Rachel slid out from under the covers and stood up next to the bed. “I’ll go with you. Be an extra set of hands.”

Logan looked down at his feet before meeting her eyes. “I already asked Dick to help out with the lesson and Veronica will be there too so I think we will be covered.”

Rachel was trying to hide the stab of jealousy and hurt she felt by keeping her voice upbeat. “I thought Veronica didn’t surf.”

“She doesn’t, but she’s Tyler’s friend and he wants her to be there. He’s more comfortable around other people if Veronica is nearby.” It was a lie. Tyler was pretty accepting of anyone connected to him or Veronica. He just didn’t want Rachel to come with him; he liked being able to spend time with Veronica and Tyler alone because the three of them had a special bond.

“Oh, okay.” Rachel sat back down on Logan’s bed. “Well…I guess I’ll call up the girls and see if they want to meet up for a spa day at the country club.” She put on a fake smile that didn’t seem to reach her eyes but Logan bought it.

Logan moved to give her a quick hug. “Will I ever get to meet these country club girls you always talk about?”

Rachel smiled a real smile this time. “We can go next weekend and I’ll introduce you to them.”

Logan nodded his head and backed out of the bedroom. “There’s fresh coffee in the kitchen but I would drink it before Mac gets up. She gets cranky when she sees other people caffeinating because she can’t have any anymore.”

He left the room and headed towards the garage skipping the pot of coffee he made. He decided to just stop by Java the Hut on the way to Veronica’s instead.

* * *

 

Logan texted Veronica as he was leaving Java the Hut to let her know he was only a few minutes away. When he pulled up in front of Keith’s house Veronica was sitting on the front porch steps waiting for him. She had on a pair of blue jean shorts and a sky blue V-neck t-shirt, the black straps of her triangle bikini were sticking out and tied around her neck. Her beach bag was hanging off her shoulder and in each hand was a gift bag, one red bag with red tissue paper and one blue bag with blue tissue paper.

Veronica stood up and walked toward Logan’s BMW convertible. The top was down so she placed the gift bags in the backseat and then joined Logan up front. “Good morning.”

Logan smiled at her and held up a coffee cup. “Good morning. I stopped and picked up some coffee.” He handed her the cup and pointed to a brown bag. “I didn’t know if you had breakfast yet or not or if you were already ready for a snack but I got you a blueberry muffin too.”

Eyes wide, Veronica smiled and squealed in delight as she reached for the bag and pulled out the muffin. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Logan smiled as he watched Veronica eat her muffin. Food was always a sure fire way to see Veronica smile. “What’s with the gift bags?”

Veronica finished her treat and washed it down with a sip of her coffee. “He’s a kid so I thought it would be more fun for him to open a present rather than us just giving him the turtles. The blue bag has your turtle to give to him.”

Logan nodded and put the car in drive. “Where to?”

“At the end of this street make a right and Tyler’s house is the sixth one on the right. They have a bright red front door you can’t miss it.”

When they pulled into Tyler’s driveway they both got out and grabbed their gifts to give to Tyler. They walked up the steps to the front porch and stood next to each other as Veronica rang the doorbell.

About twenty seconds later the door opened to a middle aged blonde woman dressed simply in shorts and a t-shirt. “Veronica, it’s so good to see you again.” She stepped out onto the porch to give Veronica a hug. When she pulled away she turned to Logan and gave him a hug as well. “And you must be Logan, it’s nice to meet you. I just wanted to thank you two again for spending time with Tyler and teaching him how to surf. It means more to me than you’ll ever know to know that he has people he trusts and who look out for him.”

Veronica smiled at the older woman. “It’s no problem at all. You’ve raised a very good son, Mrs. Rickley.”

“Please, call me Linda.” Linda welcomed them both inside the house and led them to the living room to have a seat. “Tyler was just finishing up his chores, I’ll go see if he’s done and ready to go.” Linda left the room in search of her youngest son and left Logan and Veronica alone.

Veronica watched as Johnny, Tyler’s older brother, walked past the living room not bothering to notice the guests because he was too busy with the phone in his hand. “Hi, Johnny.”

Upon hearing the voice that called his name, Johnny quickly froze and swallowed the lump in his throat. He turned around slowly with a little fear in his eyes, not meeting Veronica’s gaze. “Veronica.”

Logan smirked as he watched Johnny’s reaction to Veronica’s presence. He leaned in closer to Veronica and spoke softly so only she could hear him. “Wow, Bobcat. Back in town for one week and you’ve already traumatized the local youth of Neptune. It’s just like old times.” Veronica shot him a smile of pure innocence.

Johnny looked over at the other guest on the couch next to Veronica and his eyes widened in surprise. “You’re Logan Echolls!” Johnny was stunned the first time he met Veronica; not believing a girl like her would willingly choose to spend her day with a seven year old. But now Logan Echolls, a legend among the 09ers, was sitting in his house waiting for his little brother to take him surfing. Johnny just stared at the two adults on the couch in shock.

Before an awkward silence could set in, Tyler came running down the hall into the living room launching himself at Logan and Veronica. “Veronica! Logan!” He landed in between them and wrapped an arm around each of their necks bringing them all closer together in a Tyler sandwich.

Tyler’s mom, Linda, and his dad, Brett followed Tyler into the living room walking instead of running and sat down on the opposite couch. They smiled as they watched Tyler throw himself into a hug with his two newest friends. Johnny took a seat in the chair next to the couch and watched the exchange as well.

Tyler turned around so he was now sitting down on the couch between Logan and Veronica. Veronica leaned forward and grabbed the red gift bag from the coffee table and handed it to Tyler. “This is for you. Logan and I went to a dinner party on Friday and they had carnival games for us to play and win prizes. This was one of the prizes I won and I thought you would like to have it.”

Tyler removed the tissue paper from the top of the bag and pulled out a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stuffed animal with a red mask. His face lit up at the gift in his hands and Tyler wrapped his little body around Veronica in a hug. “Thank you, Veronica!” He let go of Veronica and embraced his new stuffed toy. “I love him.”

Veronica smiled down at Tyler. “You’re welcome, Bud. I didn’t know if you were a fan of Ninja Turtles but…”

Tyler excitedly interrupted Veronica. “I have seen every episode and movie!” He held out the turtle in front of him pointing at the red mask. “This one is Raphael. He’s funny. He’s also the strongest and is always the first one to punch the bad guys.” Tyler imitated throwing a punch with his tiny fists. “He’s definitely the bad boy in the group.”

Veronica looked over at Logan and raised an eyebrow. “Huh…that sounds a lot like Logan.”

Everyone in the room laughed except for Logan who rolled his eyes at Veronica pretending to be wounded by her words. “Don’t listen to her, Tyler. I might have been a bad boy in the past but I’m reformed now.” He sent a wink in Veronica’s direction and she smiled and shook her head. Logan reached forward and grabbed his blue bag off the coffee table to give to Tyler. “This one is from me.”

Linda had been watching the playful scene in front of her. She was smiling at Tyler’s excitement but also at Veronica and Logan. She didn’t know Veronica very well, only having met her once before and sharing a few phone calls as it pertained to asking permission to spend time with Tyler. Linda didn’t think Veronica and Logan were dating because they had never been referred to as anything other than friends but she could see the exploding chemistry pouring out between the two. She assumed they were very close emotionally because the kind of comfortableness they shared with each other was typically only found between two people who loved each other deeply.

Tyler tore off the blue tissue paper from the blue bag and pulled out the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Tyler smiled big and jumped up and down. “Now I have two!” He tried to wrap his arms around Logan in a hug but Logan’s body was too big for Tyler to reach all the way around. ‘Thank you, Logan!”

Logan smiled and roughed up Tyler’s hair. “You’re welcome. What is this guy’s name?”

Tyler held the turtle out in front of him like he did before so he could show and explain his turtle to Logan and Veronica. He pointed to the blue mask on the turtle’s face. “This is Leonardo. He’s the brave one who watches out for all the others. And he argues with Raphael a lot.”

Logan quirked his head toward Veronica. “Well that pretty much describes Veronica.” Veronica rolled her eyes and tried not to smile at Logan’s mimicking antics.

Tyler stood up and grabbed both turtles. “I know they already have names but I’m going to rename them.” Tyler held up the blue turtle first. “This will be Veronica.” Followed by the red turtle. “This will be Logan. I’m going to go put them in my room by Henry’s cage so he can have friends like me too and then we can go surfing!”

While Tyler ran up to his room Logan turned back toward Linda and Brett. “Is there a certain time you’d like him to be home by?”

“No, he can stay out all day. We don’t have anything going on this afternoon.”

Tyler came back downstairs ready to go and everyone stood up and made their way to the front door. Linda gave Tyler a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Be good for Logan and Veronica and have fun.”

Brett held the front door open. Veronica picked up the booster seat and held it out for Logan. “Can you carry this out to the car for me?” Logan nodded his head and took it from Veronica. He didn’t know what it was for but he took it out to the car anyway. Veronica put a hand on Tyler’s shoulder to prevent him from following Logan out of the house. “Remember when you thought it was really funny when I was trying to fasten your booster seat into the car and you didn’t say anything to help? Let’s do that again with Logan, make him struggle a little bit. Trust me, it will be very funny!”

Tyler laughed and nodded his head in agreement. Linda and Brett shook their heads in amusement as they closed the door after Tyler and Veronica left the house. Tyler’s parents moved into the adjacent sitting room so they could watch the booster seat show from the window.

* * *

 

After fifteen minutes and a few choice words later Logan had given up on trying to figure out how to hook up the booster seat. He looked over at Tyler and Veronica who were sitting in the grass in the front yard flipping through pictures on her phone not paying him any attention. “Uh…Tyler?”

Without taking his eyes off of the picture Veronica was showing him he responded to Logan. “Yeah?”

“Is it really necessary that you sit in this booster seat? The seatbelt will keep you safe and I can take the side roads so we don’t have to go faster than 25mph.”

Tyler stood up and walked over to stand beside Logan, reaching out a hand to pat his back reassuringly. “It’s okay, Logan, I’ll help you.” Tyler waved his hand telling Logan to bend down to his level. He cupped his hands around Logan’s ear and whispered softly. “Don’t feel bad, Veronica couldn’t figure it out either.” Tyler then climbed into the front seat and over the center console to reach the back seat and buckled his booster seat in place.

* * *

 

When they arrived at the beach they got out of the car and walked over to Surf Bro’s. Surf Bro’s was closed on Sunday’s so Logan unlocked the shop door and let Veronica and Tyler inside. Logan grabbed a black child’s wetsuit off the rack and pulled the tags off of it before handing it to Tyler. “This is your wetsuit. It will keep you warm when we finally get out in the water. It’s a little hard to put on at first because it’s really tight so I’ll help you. But first let’s find you a surfboard.”

Logan waved his hand to Tyler and Veronica to follow him into the back room where they had a storage area for their customers to keep their personal boards and gear if they didn’t have a place to store it at home. “I know I told you you could pick your own board but I had one custom made for you instead. The style of board is the same as mine just smaller but I took it in Friday to have it uniquely painted just for you.”

Logan pulled a surfboard off the shelf and unzipped the black cover surrounding it. The cover fell to the floor and Tyler’s eyes widened as he took in his first very own surfboard. The surfboard was navy blue and was decorated with a powder blue vintage Hawaiian design. The design ran vertically down the middle of the board and consisted of alternating Hawaiian flowers and sea turtles set in between two bamboo stripes.

Tyler ran his hand over the design on the board taking it all in. “I love it! Thank you, Logan!”

“You’re welcome, Tyler.”

Veronica was smiling and her heart was bursting with love at everything Logan had done for Tyler. He could have just used one of the surfboards they had for lessons but instead he had a board designed to make Tyler feel special. “Let me take a picture of you and Logan standing next to your board so we can show your mom and dad.” Veronica pulled her camera out of her beach bag and snapped a few photos of Logan and Tyler smiling and a few of them making silly faces.

Logan took Veronica’s camera and put it down on the shelf before pulling her next to him. He took out his phone and held it out in front of him capturing a picture of all three of them with Tyler’s surfboard. Logan pocketed the phone and turned toward Tyler. “Who’s ready to surf?”

Tyler jumped up and down with uncontrollable energy. “Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!”

Logan and Veronica laughed at his exuberance. Logan handed Veronica his wetsuit to carry while he grabbed his and Tyler’s surfboards. Tyler carried his own wetsuit and held the door open for Logan to carry the boards through. With the shop locked the three of them made their way down to the spot in the sand where the surf lessons were typically held and where they were meeting up with Dick.

* * *

 

Logan was setting up the boards in the sand so they could practice the basics on land before heading into the water. He had his wetsuit on covering his legs while the top half was dangling from his waist, his chiseled chest bare. Logan looked up when he was done and watched with a smile on his face as Tyler protested against Veronica a few feet away.

“That’s too much…. That’s enough. That’s enough…. I’m covered now.”

Tyler was standing in front of Veronica in just his red swim trunks as Veronica covered every inch of Tyler’s body, head to toe, in sunscreen. “Your mom won’t let you hang out with me anymore if I return you to her looking like a lobster.”

Tyler laughed and when Veronica was done with the sunscreen he walked over to Logan, ready to put on his wetsuit. Logan held the suit down low so Tyler could use Logan’s shoulders for balance while stepping into the suit. Logan told Veronica to just put sunscreen on Tyler’s face since he would be wearing a full body wetsuit but she insisted on making sure he was protected. The sunscreen made it harder to move the suit up Tyler’s body but with a little wiggling and jumping he managed to get it on and zipped.

Dick bounded up the beach, soaked from coming out of the ocean and laid his board down next to Tyler’s. “Hey, Logan. Waves are pretty good today, consistent but not too rough. We’ll still stay shallow with the tiny tot until he feels comfortable going out further.” Dick turned toward Veronica and started walking her way. “Hey, Ronnie!”

Veronica held up her hand to stop Dick’s approach. “Dick. No hugs. You’ve maxed out on your hug quota for the month.”

“I’m hurt, Ronnie. I’m just as much of a friend to you as Logan is and I bet you didn’t give him a hug quota.”

Veronica smirked at Dick. “I like him more than you.”

Logan ducked his head down to hide his smile. He didn’t know why hearing Veronica say those words had such a strong effect on him. He knew Veronica would never like Dick more than him, she didn’t really like Dick, she tolerated him at best. Just hearing her say it though made him happy. Logan placed his hands on Tyler’s shoulders and stood behind him. “Dick, this is Tyler, my friend. Tyler, this is my buddy, Dick. He is going to help me with your lesson.”

Dick held out his hand for Tyler to fist bump. “Hey, Ty. Let’s get you on your board.”

Logan told Tyler to lie down on his stomach on top of the board. Logan and Dick also laid down on their boards to demonstrate throughout the lesson what Tyler would have to do. Logan was on Tyler’s left while Dick was on his right. Veronica sat down in the sand still clothed and pulled out her camera to snap pictures of the lesson.

Logan and Dick showed Tyler how to paddle while lying down on the board. They told him to practice paddling while keeping his head straight looking out in front of him. Since they would be out in the water with him later, they told him he wouldn’t have to watch the wave behind him, they would tell him when to pop up. Since he was just beginning trying to turn and look over his shoulder would throw him off balance and he would fall into the water.

Once Tyler felt comfortable with his body movements while paddling, Dick took over teaching him how to pop up properly. “You’re going to slide both of your hands down by your chest, keeping them close to your body.” Dick demonstrated and watched as Tyler followed along, tweaking his posture as needed. “Good job, little man. Remember where your hands are now. You’re going to want them in that position every time you pop up.”

Next Dick taught Tyler how to pop up on the board getting his feet in place under him after pushing off from his stomach. Logan and Dick were very impressed with how quickly Tyler mastered getting up into a standing position. He was rather small for a seven year old, which made it easier for him to lift his body because he didn’t have a lot of weight acting against him. His small height also played to his advantage lowering his center of gravity making it easier for him to find his balance.

Dick dusted the sand off his wetsuit. “I think you’re ready for the water, little dude. Let me go grab some wax to rub on your board so it’s not so slippery in the water.”

While Dick went to grab some wax from Surf Bro’s Logan gave Tyler a few more pointers. “Don’t be scared. You mastered the land training very quickly. I think you’ll be standing up within a half an hour.”

Tyler was sitting on top of his board next to Logan watching the waves roll in. “What if I fall?”

“I’ll be honest with you. You’re going to fall a lot at first, but we will be in pretty shallow water, probably no higher than your chest until you can stand up. Dick and I will be right next to you the whole time, so if you do fall and you need us we will be right there to grab you. I promise nothing bad will happen to you.”

Tyler nodded his head. “Okay. I trust you.” A minute of silence passed before Tyler spoke again. “Veronica said that your favorite place in the whole world is being out on the water, is that true?”

Logan turned his head to look over his shoulder to where Veronica was seated a few yards away messing with the settings on her camera. “Second favorite place.”

“What’s your first favorite place then?”

Logan smiled softly. “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

* * *

 

Tyler was a quick learner and he managed to stand up and ride his first wave within twenty minutes. They were in water that was barely three feet deep but it was the perfect height for Tyler to start out in. The more confident he grew the deeper they went.

Before they went out too deep, Dick and Logan grabbed their boards from the beach so they could keep up with Tyler. Dick would help Tyler with his form and ride the waves in with him. Logan straddled his board and stayed out in the water to give Tyler a reference point of how far he could go when he paddled back out looking for the next wave.

Veronica had been taking pictures all morning of Tyler during his land training and when they were in the shallow water. She wanted to take lots of pictures to give to Tyler’s parents and some for herself to remember this day. Veronica ran into one of the tourist’s shops along the beach and bought a waterproof disposable camera so she could snatch some water shots without ruining her camera.

She stripped off her clothes down to her black triangle bikini and made her way into the water. She gasped when the water first made contact with her skin. It was pretty chilly and she debated about just going back to her towel but she really wanted to see Tyler surf up close. She plunged into the water until it was up to her shoulders. The boys were still a ways out and she was quickly losing her contact with the ocean floor, as the water grew deeper.

Logan saw Veronica make her way into the water and he paddled on his board in her direction. When he reached her he held out his hand for her to grab. “Climb on. You won’t be able to touch the bottom out there.” He pulled her up onto his board with ease and paddled back to where Dick and Tyler were.

Veronica was straddling Logan’s board in front of him. She tried to focus on taking pictures of Tyler but with Logan mere inches away from her it was difficult. Dick and Tyler were paddling in to catch another wave and she managed to take the rest of the pictures that the camera allowed. The water was still cold and with the wind blowing lightly onto her wet skin it was starting to make her shiver.

Logan saw the goosebumps form on her skin and without a wetsuit on he knew she had to be freezing but would be too stubborn to tell him. “Are you cold? I should have grabbed you a wetsuit. I can take you back to the beach to warm up.”

“Uh, no, it’s okay. I want to see Tyler ride a few more waves.”

Logan placed his hands on her upper arms gauging her body temperature for himself. “Veronica, you’re freezing.”

Veronica wrapped her arms around her body trying to stay warm. “I’m alright, really.” A few seconds later her teeth started chattering together loudly. “Okay, yes, I’m a little cold, but I don’t want to go in yet. Just a few more minutes.”

“If you won’t let me take you back at least let me warm you up a little before you turn blue.” Logan scooted forward on the board closing the gap between their bodies. He leaned into her pressing his front to her back and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms trying to create some heat.

Veronica was fairly certain Logan could feel her heart beating rapidly inside her chest but she didn’t care at the moment. Her body was heating up quickly, which had more to do with Logan’s proximity to her nearly naked body than his survival techniques. Every place he was pressed against her felt like fire burning through her skin.

A few minutes later her teeth stopped chattering and her goosebumps faded. Logan looked over her body to make sure she wasn’t showing any signs of hypothermia. “How are you feeling?”

Veronica tried to keep her voice even so he wouldn’t know how much his touch still affected her. “Much better. Thank you.”

Logan unwrapped his arms from around her body and put some space between them again. “Of course, that’s what friends do.”

* * *

 

They let Tyler ride a few more waves before calling it a day. Tyler was exhausted after spending an hour on land training and an hour and a half actually surfing. Veronica wrapped Tyler in a towel and the two of them sat in the sand drying off while Dick and Logan stored the wetsuits and boards back in the shop.

Veronica and Tyler walked into Surf Bro’s to change out of their wet swimming suits and into dry clothes. Veronica used the women’s restroom and Tyler went with Dick and Logan into the men’s.

It had been twenty-five minutes since the boys disappeared into the bathroom to change. Veronica was getting tired of waiting, wondering what they were doing that it would take them so long to change. She had her arms perched up on the counter by the cash register trying to keep her eyes open while she waited for them to reemerge.

“Look at me, Veronica!”

Veronica turned around to look at Tyler and when she saw him standing in the middle of the shop a slow smile crept up onto her face reaching all the way to her eyes. Tyler was wearing a pair of tan cargo shorts, a light blue t-shirt under a green short sleeved button up shirt that was left unbuttoned and brown flip flops. To top it all off he was also wearing a white puka shell necklace and the top of his hair was styled and spiked up with gel. “Wow, look at you! You look just like Logan did in high school. Are those his clothes?”

Tyler laughed and shook his head. “Logan and Dick said if I was going to be a surfer I had to dress like a surfer. Also, Logan said Dick’s clothes are inappropriate and if I dressed like him you would tase him, so he picked this instead. Don’t I look cool!?”

Dick and Logan came out of the bathroom. Logan was wearing a grey shirt and navy blue shorts. Dick had on a pair of green board shorts and a grey shirt she recognized from high school that said _Going Commando._ She rolled her eyes at Dick’s choice of clothing knowing it was for the best Tyler not dress like Dick. “You look very cool, Bud.”

“Ty is totally going to be a babe magnet dressed like that. All the second grade girls are going to be chasing him around the playground. Right, Ronnie? That look used to get you all hot and bothered once upon a time.”

Veronica tried to stop the blush working its way onto her cheeks by glaring at Dick and keeping her gaze away from Logan. “He doesn’t need babes, Dick. He’s seven.”

“Never too young.” Dick bumped fists with Tyler. “I’ll see you later, little dude. You kicked a−, uh…butt out there on the waves today. Stop in here next time you go surfing and I’ll go with you." Dick left to go pick Mac up and take her out to lunch.

Logan looked between Veronica and Tyler. “Ready for lunch?”

Veronica grabbed her beach bag off the counter and a smile made it’s way onto her face. “Yes, I’m starving!”

Logan smirked and bent down so Tyler could climb onto his back in piggyback fashion. “When are you not?”

Veronica shrugged her shoulders and laughed. Tyler wrapped his hands around Logan’s neck so he didn’t fall off and leaned forward to see Logan’s face. “Can we have macaroni and cheese?”

Logan locked the door to Surf Bro’s and nodded his head. “I think we can arrange that. What do you say, Veronica? Up for some macaroni?”

She looked at Logan with a loving smile. “Always.”

* * *

 

Logan pulled into his garage and parked. This was as far as Veronica had gone when she dropped Mac off yesterday. She unloaded all the beach accessories on the garage floor and then said goodbye to Mac, never stepping foot inside Logan’s house.

They entered the house through the garage, which led to a mudroom before flowing into the kitchen. The kitchen was very modern and clean. The cabinets were grey with white granite countertops and a white subway tile backsplash covered the wall. There was a center island for extra prepping and it had bar stools along one side to double as a dining area.

The open floor plan of the house allowed them to see most of the main floor no matter where they stood. Off the kitchen was a beautiful wood table for formal dining. The living room was illuminated in natural light from the back of the house where it was mostly covered in floor to ceiling windows and doors that led out to the private beach off the deck. There was a large L-shaped couch that pointed toward a one hundred and twenty inch television mounted to the wall above a marble electric fireplace.

Down the hallway away from the living room for privacy was where one would find a hall bathroom, a mini master bedroom that Dick claimed and a laundry room. Upstairs there was a small office, two guest bedrooms and the main master bedroom where Logan slept.

Veronica and Tyler took a seat on the bar stools at the center island in the kitchen watching as Logan floated around grabbing all the supplies for lunch. He went to the walk in pantry to grab the box of macaroni off the shelf calling back over his shoulder. “One box or two? Since Veronica is here we should go with two…but that still might not be enough for you and I to eat, Tyler.” Tyler was bursting with laughter at Logan’s ramblings. “How about grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese?”

Tyler nodded his head in approval over the new lunch plans. “Can I help?”

Veronica stood up and moved around the counter to wash her hands. “Of course, Bud. You can help me make the macaroni while Logan makes our sandwiches.”

Tyler jumped off the bar stool and joined Veronica at the sink to wash his hands. When he was done Logan picked him up and set him down on the counter next to Veronica so he could reach all the ingredients to add to the macaroni when the noodles were done cooking.

When lunch was prepared they sat down at the wood table to eat. Logan had poured them all a glass of lemonade before bringing over the grilled cheese sandwiches. He made two sandwiches for him and Veronica and one for Tyler. Letting them each scoop out their own macaroni, he was glad he decided to reach out two boxes because Veronica basically ate an entire box herself.

Logan and Tyler had been done eating for a few minutes and sat at the table passing glances between each other when Veronica wasn’t looking. Tyler had to throw his hands over his mouth a few times to keep himself from laughing, which would alert Veronica to the faces Logan was making. Veronica looked up and saw Logan and Tyler staring at her with identical closed mouth smiles. “What?”

Logan responded innocently, a master of concealing his face into not giving anything way. “Nothing.” Tyler on the other hand had more trouble schooling his expressions and giggled at Logan’s lie.

Veronica stared each of them down. It was obvious they were hiding something. “What? Do I have something on my face?” She took her napkin and wiped around her mouth not finding any food.

Tyler broke easily and smiled. “You eat more than my dad!”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.” She turned her head toward Logan. “And you were staring at me because…”

A slow smile spread across his lips. “I just like watching you eat. You never fail to amaze me with how much food you can consume. And when you eat the corners of your mouth tick up, your eyes grow soft and you look very relaxed and innocent. I just like seeing you so happy and carefree.”

Veronica locked eyes with Logan. He always had a way with words that saying something so simple could make her insides melt. She knew he probably didn’t mean anything by it. A remark you say to someone you care about like her wanting Mac and Wallace to be happy, it was something friends said to each other. Veronica so desperately wanted to tell him that being with him would make her so incredibly happy. If they ever got back together he could see happiness on her face every day. But she didn’t say anything. She just sat there locked in a gaze with Logan hoping someday she would get the chance.

Tyler’s voice broke them out of their trance and they turned to hear his request. “Logan, can we watch a movie?”

“I don’t really have any kid movies but you and Veronica can find one On Demand that we can all watch while I clean up the dishes.”

Tyler slid out of his chair and pulled Veronica away from the table over to the couch. “Come on, Veronica, let’s pick a movie!” Logan smiled as they left the kitchen; this little boy had them wrapped so tightly around his finger. Tyler turned on the TV and pulled up the On Demand list with ease. “Have you ever seen Cars?”

“No.”

Tyler’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What about Up?”

“No.”

Tyler scrunched up his face thinking of the movies he liked to watch. “The Incredibles? Minions? Monster’s University? Despicable Me?” Again, Veronica shook her head no. “Do you not like movies?”

Veronica smiled softly. “I do like movies. I just don’t watch a lot of animated movies. Except for the South Park movie, which I doubt you’ve ever seen…since I haven’t seen any of those movies you mentioned how about you pick your favorite one to share with Logan and me. I can guarantee you that Logan hasn’t seen it either.”

Tyler scrolled through the On Demand list trying to find the movie he wanted to show Logan and Veronica. Logan had finished cleaning the dishes and came back into the living room taking a seat on the couch next to Veronica, on her left side. “Did you find a movie, kiddo?”

“Finding Nemo!” Tyler smiled and handed the remote to Logan so he could turn on the movie. He grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and curled up next to Veronica on her right side sandwiching her in between the two boys.

Twenty minutes into the movie Tyler had shifted so that his head was resting on Veronica’s lap. He managed to fight the pull of sleep taking over his body until half way through the movie. After watching the scene with the bale of sea turtles traveling along the East Australian Current Tyler was out like a light.

* * *

 

Rachel was standing in the living room of Logan’s beach house. She decided to stop by in the late afternoon after a day at the spa with the girls to see if Logan was back from his surf lesson and wanted to go to dinner.

The scene she found in front of her made her blood boil. There was a kid’s animated movie playing on the TV. Tyler was asleep with his head on Veronica’s lap and a blanket pulled up around his shoulders. Veronica was also asleep, her hand draped over Tyler protectively so even in her sleep she knew he was safe. Her head was resting against Logan’s shoulder and he was asleep with his head on top of Veronica’s and his arm around her shoulder.

Rachel’s jaw was clenched and her hands were in fists so tight she was leaving crescent moon shaped marks on her palms from her nails. She looked at the three of them cuddled together on the couch and saw a perfect little family. It made her mad to think that her and Logan had been together for two years and had not reached the level of intimacy that Logan and Veronica had shared in just one week.

Her day at the spa was enlightening. The girls she met with every week had attended Neptune High around the same time as Logan, Veronica, Dick, Mac and Wallace. They had shared many stories about Veronica and Rachel could not see how Logan would choose to keep Veronica in his life after all the things she had done. After the facts she had gathered today she knew her instincts were right, she needed to keep Veronica away from Logan if she was going to have any chance of building a future with him.

Rachel turned around and walked out of the house without waking the occupants inside. She got into her car and drove back to her house with renewed motivation. She didn’t want to lose Logan and now she knew what she had to do to make sure he stayed with her.

* * *

 

Logan walked into the kitchen after dropping Veronica and Tyler off at home to find Dick sitting at the kitchen island with a beer in his hand. “Hey, man.”

Dick took a drink of his beer and shook his head before putting the drink down. “Dude, what are you doing?”

Dick had been in the living room watching TV when Logan woke up from the impromptu nap with Veronica and Tyler. He elected not to say anything before and Logan was grateful but it was as if luck was not on his side now because Dick was ready to talk. Logan took a beer out of the fridge and leaned against the kitchen counter facing Dick. “Nothing happened. We just fell asleep.”

“That’s not what I meant… What are you doing with Rachel?”

“She’s my girlfriend, Dick.”

“I know that. But why?”

Logan ran a hand through his hair. “Because…because having her around means I don’t have to be alone. You and Mac are here and I wouldn’t change that, it helps having you around, but having friends is not enough.”

“And Rachel is enough. She’s what you need to be happy?”

Logan thought about that statement and let it swirl around his mind for a minute. This wasn’t a hard question to answer, he knew the answer in his heart, he had always known. It was just hard to admit, especially to Dick. “No, but she’s as close as I’m going to get.”

Dick took another drink of his beer and tried to analyze what Logan was saying and not saying. He knew his next few moves were going to be a waste of time because Logan would probably shut him down but he wanted to try anyway since Logan was finally talking to him. “Do you still love Ronnie?”

Logan turned around placing his hands on the counter, keeping his back to Dick. He didn’t want to see the judging stare that would be on Dick’s face. Dick was the one who always encouraged him to forget about Veronica every time he fell and move on. “Yes…I always will.”

“Answer me this then, Logan. If you could be with Ronnie again…would she be enough for you? Would being with Ronnie make you happy?”

Logan turned back around to face Dick. He was surprised at what Dick was asking him; there was no judgment in his tone, it was as if he truly was rooting for him and Veronica to work out. Since Dick was being serious with this conversation, Logan decided to answer him honestly. “Yes. If I could be with Veronica again someday, I would be happy. She’s all I ever wanted.”

“She’s right here, dude. Go tell her you still love her and get her back.”

Logan shook his head. “It’s not that easy, Dick. She lives in New York now and has her own life there and a job that she loves. I messed up before…that’s why she left. If we got back together and it didn’t work out…I don’t think I’ll survive her walking out again. You were there, you saw the damage, it nearly killed me the last time. Not having her in my life was miserable. Now we’re friends again and even though it hurts not being able to be more than her friend at least I can still see and talk to her. We went nine years without speaking to each other, she’s moved on. I blew my last chance a long time ago.”

Dick had listened to every word Logan had said and he wanted to punch him so badly right now. “Dude, you really need to spend some time thinking about the past few days you’ve spent with Ronnie and then try to tell me that she’s moved on.” He finished the last of his beer and threw the bottle in the recycling bin. “I tried…and now I’m going to bed, you’re giving me a headache.” Dick walked out of the kitchen and before turning down the hallway to his room he paused and faced Logan. “You know, for two smart people you both are incredibly dumb.”

Logan took his beer out to the deck and laid down on one of the loungers. He didn’t really believe what Dick was saying but wanted to humor him. He closed his eyes going back over the last week, trying to picture everything that had happened between him and Veronica. He didn’t get very far into his thoughts before sleep took over his body and he drifted off dreaming about a small blonde.


	10. Chapter 10

On Monday morning Veronica was still half asleep and slowly waking up. She had never had a better night’s sleep in her life. A slow smile stretched across her face as she felt several feather light kisses pressed into the side of her neck. She snuggled further back into the warm body behind her as two golden tanned arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her in tighter.

His warm breath grazed against her ear in greeting sending a shiver down her spine. “Good morning.”

Veronica rolled over in his arms and placed a kiss on his bare chest before slowly opening her eyes. She looked up to meet Logan’s chocolate brown eyes gazing lovingly at her. “Good morning.” She didn’t know how she ended up naked and asleep in Logan’s bed. The last thing she remembered from yesterday was Logan dropping her and Tyler off after their afternoon nap. She wasn’t complaining though. Being here with Logan felt safe and warm and was exactly where she wanted to be.

Logan placed a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose and smiled as he pulled back. “I missed this. I missed holding you in my arms. I missed waking up next to you. I missed being able to kiss you and touch you whenever I want.” He bent his head down to meet her lips in a kiss. “I missed watching you snore while you sleep.”

Veronica’s eyes grew wide and she gently pushed against his chest. “I do not snore!”

“I hate to tell you this, Bobcat, but you do. Don’t worry, I find it incredibly adorable!” Logan rolled onto his back pulling Veronica on top of him. He gave her another kiss as his hands ran up and down her exposed back. He deepened the kiss and pulled away when oxygen became an issue leaving them both breathless. Logan planted a soft kiss on Veronica’s forehead and then looked her in the eyes trying to show her all of his emotions. “I love you.”

Veronica felt a flutter in her chest at his words. “I love you too.” She crashed her lips against Logan’s, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss and duel with his tongue. Logan flipped them over so he was on top and trailed kisses down her neck until he got to her pulse point. He ran his tongue around the point with her pulse beating rapidly against his mouth. He smiled against her skin as she moaned out his name.

Logan’s mouth and hands were moving further down her body trying to memorize every inch of her again. Veronica’s head thrashed back deeper into the pillow as she arched up into Logan’s body, the movement of his hands and mouth moving across her body ignited every nerve ending along the way. She pushed on his chest trying to roll them over again but she must have miscalculated her proximity to the edge of the bed because it felt like she was free falling. When she looked up she noticed that Logan wasn’t falling with her.

Veronica hit the floor with a loud thud. “Ooh, ouch!” She opened her eyes and took in the familiar room. The sky blue walls and royal blue comforter set with white sheets on a twin sized bed; it was her father’s guest bedroom. Her hands covered her face in frustration. “No, no, no, no, no. Damn it! It wasn’t real.” She tried to push back the tears she felt forming in her eyes as her dream future was torn away from her.

“Veronica, breakfast is ready. I’ve been calling your name for fifteen minutes.” Keith opened up the door to the guest bedroom and found Veronica lying on the ground with the white bed sheet twisted around her legs. “What are you doing on the floor?”

Veronica removed her hands from her face and gave her father a weak smile. “I got tangled in the sheets.”

Keith took in his daughter’s appearance. Her hair was disheveled, her face was slightly flushed, her eyes were glossy like she was fighting back tears and she was taking deep breaths like she was trying to calm herself down. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Okay…but hurry up we have a whole day of daddy-daughter fun to get to!” Keith walked out of the guest bedroom closing the door behind him. He tried to play it off as nothing but he was worried about Veronica. When she said she was okay he knew she was lying. He had been able to see through her walls since she was a little girl and seeing Veronica pushing back tears first thing in the morning was a big red flag. They had the whole day to spend together and he had every intention of trying to figure out what was wrong. He just wanted her to be happy.

* * *

 

Veronica walked into the kitchen and was a little disappointed to find the table empty of food. Keith was standing behind the kitchen island drinking coffee and Veronica took a seat on one of the bar stools. “I thought you said breakfast was ready. Here I was expecting eggs, toast, bacon, hash browns and sausage.”

Keith smiled down at his daughter as he placed a bowl, a box of cereal and a carton of milk on the counter in front of her. “I was going to make all that for you until you decided to sleep until ten-thirty. Now you get cereal because we are going to be having lunch in less than two hours.”

Veronica looked at her dad regretfully. “I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on sleeping that late.”

“It’s okay, we still have all day. Tyler must have really worn you out.”

Veronica gave a small smile. “He’s a ball of energy.” She cleaned up her bowl of cereal and placed the milk back in the fridge. “So I thought we could go to the photo center to pick up my pictures from yesterday. I uploaded my digital photos last night so they should be ready and then I have to get the disposable ones printed but that shouldn’t take too long. Then we could go to lunch at Luigi’s, play a little mini golf and pick up a movie on the way home.”

Keith rinsed out his coffee mug and before moving out of the kitchen he called over his shoulder. “Winner of mini golf gets to pick the movie!” He went down the hall to brush his teeth as Veronica took a quick shower and changed.

* * *

 

Forty-five minutes later they were pulling into the parking lot of the photo center. They walked inside and Veronica dropped off the disposable camera. She went down an aisle that sold photo albums and picked up four. One album had a cover decorated like a beach and thought that one would be perfect to give to Tyler. She also picked up three solid color covered photo albums for herself and Tyler’s parents.

Once the photos were finished being developed, Veronica and Keith went to pick up her uploaded photos from yesterday that were printed and the ones from the disposable camera. She paid for the photo albums and the photos and then they headed to lunch at Luigi’s.

* * *

 

Keith and Veronica were seated in a booth in the corner of the restaurant. A waitress offered to give them a few minutes to look over the menu but since they had been there so many times before they knew what they wanted without even glancing at the menu. They placed an order for a large manicotti, large lasagna, garlic bread, two waters and four cannoli’s for dessert after the meal.

The waitress, Kelly, who was in her mid thirties with strawberry blonde hair placed two waters on the table before leaving the father and daughter alone. Veronica pulled an envelope containing her developed photos in it out of her messenger bag. “Do you want to see the photos from Tyler’s surf lesson?”

Keith smiled at Veronica. “Of course.”

Veronica held the stack out so Keith could see the photos while Veronica explained what they were of and what was happening in each photo. The pile of photos was fairly large. The night before she didn’t go through the photos on her camera to pick the best ones she just decided to upload everything on the camera and print them all out.

Most of the photos were out of order, not really cataloguing the day chronologically. The first one’s she showed Keith were the photo’s from the disposable camera. The pictures showed an action sequence of Tyler and Dick paddling in and then standing up to catch a wave and riding it in all the way to the beach.

Kelly, the waitress, brought out their food and set it on the table. Veronica handed the stack of photos over to Keith to continue to look through while she started eating. Keith smiled down at one of the pictures in his hand, Veronica noticing his expression explained the picture he was holding. “Tyler’s first surfboard. Logan had it custom made for him and he was so excited, his little eyes lit up when he saw the turtles on the board. I wanted this picture so he could show his parents the board he got to use.

The photo was of Tyler standing next to his board smiling. Keith continued to flip through the set. A few more of just Tyler and his board and then Logan was standing next to Tyler. He laughed when he got to the photos of Tyler and Logan making silly faces into the camera. He stopped on one of a close up of Logan and Tyler sticking their tongues out at the camera. “I like this one.”

Veronica took the photo from Keith and a warm smile graced her face. She loved this picture. Logan was so open and silly with Tyler and she remembered how her heart swelled when she saw them goofing off together in the storage room seeing who could make the silliest face. “So do I.”

Keith watched Veronica’s face when she took the photo from him. Her smile was soft and her eyes were warm. This was a photo that captured a moment when she felt happy. He went through the stack some more and saw more of Tyler’s surf lesson on the beach and then he slowed down when the photos changed capturing the events of a different day.

He looked up and saw that Veronica was too busy eating her manicotti and cannoli’s to notice what photos he was now looking at. These new photos that captured his attention so quickly were all of Logan surfing. His heart sank a little, he had had a suspicion for a while now that Veronica was not able to move on from Logan and these photos were enough to convince him that his daughter was still very much in love with Logan Echolls.

When Keith got to the last photo in the stack he froze at the unexpected image. “Was this from yesterday?” He passed the picture to Veronica carefully observing her behavior.

Veronica looked at the photo Keith had handed to her and her breath caught momentarily before she started taking deep calming breaths. Her eyes were burning and becoming blurry as tears formed in her eyes daring to spill over. It was a photo capturing the nap her, Tyler and Logan had shared yesterday all cuddled together on the couch. A flash of warmth spread throughout her chest, which soon turned into a dull ache as it reminded her of her dream from this morning and the harsh reality that this was not her future. “Yeah…Dick must have grabbed my camera and taken the photo.” She didn’t know why Dick decided to capture the moment but she was glad he did. Even if it hurt, she was still happy, safe and content in that moment and she wanted to remember it.

Keith saw her reaction to the photo and recognized her overwhelming emotions as the one’s he stumbled across this morning when she was on the floor in the guest bedroom. A single tear spilled down Veronica’s cheek and she quickly wiped it away and regained control of her emotions. Keith’s heart was breaking at the sight of his daughter struggling and he didn’t know how to help her. “Veronica…you can talk to me, honey, whatever it is that’s upsetting you…”

Veronica tried to muster up a convincing smile but knew it fell flat. “I’m fine. Really, dad, it’s nothing.”

“This is the second time today you’ve had tears in your eyes, it’s not nothing. What’s going on, kiddo?” At her continued silence he decided to change tactics and start throwing out possible reasons for which he thought she might be upset about. “Does this have to do with Tyler? He’s wormed his way into your heart. Are you worried about having to say goodbye to him when you go back to New York?”

“No…I mean, yes, he has and I will miss having him around but that’s not…” Veronica trailed off not wanted to get into the real reasons she was overly emotional during this trip.

Keith sat silently for a minute. He was really hoping it had to do with Tyler and being homesick living in New York for years not getting to see the people she cared about and then having to leave in just a few short days. “Is it…Logan?”

Veronica averted her gaze away from Keith, instead looking out the window to the cars passing by. “I really don’t want to have this conversation right now. Can we please talk about something else? We are supposed to be having a fun daddy-daughter day and this…” Veronica was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing.

Keith nodded toward Veronica telling her to take the call. It didn’t matter that her phone ringing interrupted their conversation; Veronica had placed herself behind her walls and was not going to allow further questioning from him. He already had his answer when she could no longer look him in the eyes.

Veronica looked down at her phone ringing in her hand. She didn’t recognize the number but decided to answer it anyway because it had to be better than continuing the Logan talk with her dad. “Hello?”

“Veronica, hi. It’s Rachel. Logan’s girlfriend. Anyway, I don’t want to take up a lot of your time, I can image you’re busy, but I wanted to see if you’ll have lunch with me tomorrow?”

Veronica inwardly cringed at her luck today. The day just kept getting worse. “Uh…Rachel, I don’t…”

“I know it may seem a little awkward since we really don’t know each other but I was hoping that’s what we could use this lunch for. I just love Logan so much and I want his friends to be my friends. So what do you say?”

Veronica closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She did not want to have a one on one lunch with Rachel but because she too loved Logan she would do this for him. She would be nice to Rachel. What could one lunch hurt; she was going back to New York at the end of the week and hopefully wouldn’t see Rachel again for a few more years. “Sure, Rachel. I’d like that.”

“Great! Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I have a longer lunch period and usually eat at home. Why don’t you swing by around noon tomorrow, I’ll text you the address. Thanks again, Veronica, I think this will be good for us. Have a good rest of your day and I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Veronica hung up the phone and threw it back into her bag. She collected the envelope of pictures and looked up at Keith with a fake smile. “Are you ready to get out of here and play some mini golf?”

Keith nodded and threw some cash down on the table to cover the cost of their meal. “Absolutely, let’s go.”

Veronica followed Keith out of the restaurant and mumbled under her breath. “We may need to visit the batting cages too, I’ve got a sudden urge to hit something.”

* * *

 

The rest of the afternoon seemed to go by smoothly. Veronica saw the concerned look on her father’s face when she was working out her frustrations about tomorrow’s lunch with Rachel in the batting cages. She was grateful that he did not ask about the phone call and just let it slide for now. He didn’t bring up Logan again seeing as that got him nowhere before so the conversation stayed light to avoid any arguments.

After the batting cages they went up to the counter to switch out their bats for putters and golf balls. The outdoor establishment was called Neptune’s Sunken Ship. There were three mini golf courses consisting of nine holes each all varying in levels of difficulty. The course followed the pirate theme where players would hit their balls through obstacles such as chests of treasure, stone pirate figures, ship wheels, anchors and of course the last hole was played on a replica pirate ship.

They were on the last hole of course three, the final hole of the day to decide who would be picking the celebratory movie that night. Keith had won the first round on course one and Veronica had won the second round on course two. Collectively, Veronica was winning by one point. The last hole was labeled a par five. Players started on the upper deck of the pirate ship. Their first putt was aimed at one of three holes. One hole would deliver the golf ball to the winning hole on the lower deck for a possible hole in one while the other two would spit the ball out away from the target hole. The challenge was that the players did not know which hole on the upper deck would lead to a hole in one on the lower deck.

Veronica decided to go first since she was in the lead, thinking that Keith could use the advantage of seeing where her ball ended up after dropping into one of the three holes. The holes were staggered like bowling pins and Veronica decided to go for the hole on the far left avoiding the middle hole that was closer and obviously made to draw the player in thinking it would lead to a hole in one. Her first putt missed the hole by an inch and bounced off the ledge stopping about a foot away from the hole.

Veronica stepped aside to allow Keith to set up his shot. Following in his daughter’s footsteps he too avoided the middle hole and aimed for the far right. He used a gentler approach after watching Veronica’s ball bounce around and his ball came to a stop two inches in front of the hole. Keith smirked over at Veronica confident in his ability to beat her. “ _If_ you win what movie are you going to pick?”

“I was thinking I would go with a classic…The South Park Movie.” Keith rolled his eyes at her for always picking that same movie. She pretended not to see his eye roll and continued, “I was telling Tyler about it yesterday and I know how much you love it so it’s the perfect choice.” Veronica hit her ball sending it into the far left hole she was targeting. She leaned over the edge on the top deck to see where her ball ended up below. A few seconds later her red golf ball shot out of the tubing and rolled in the opposite direction of the hole. Veronica scrunched up her face at the outcome of her shot and turned back to Keith. “Since you’re so confident you’re going to win, what movie would you pick _if you_ won?”

“Slap Shot…or maybe The Cowboys.”

“You cannot roll your eyes at The South Park Movie if you pick either of those, which you’ve seen just as many times if not more than my choice.”

“Then I guess you need to step up your game honey, if you don’t want to end up watching them.” Keith knocked his ball into the far right hole and waited for the ball to reach the lower deck. A green ball rolled out of the piping and sailed across the turf landing a few inches away from Veronica’s red one.

They walked down the steps to reach the lower deck and stared at their golf balls in disgust. “Some investigators we are. We couldn’t even pick the right hole.”

“You’re not an investigator, Veronica.” Keith knew she was just joking but the thought of Veronica calling herself an investigator again sent a cold chill down his spine. He did not want her getting back into the PI business, she worked hard to get out and become something bigger than Neptune allowed.

He wasn’t positive that she’d ever be able to give it up but as the years went by and she never touched a case he finally started to believe she was finished. Keith started worrying again about six months ago when he noticed a shift in her mood and behavior, she wasn’t happy, her excitement was fading and she worked herself into exhaustion. If he was being honest with himself she had probably been feeling like that for years. His stubborn daughter’s walls were cracking because she had held everything inside for so long and he hadn’t noticed the emotional toll it was taking on her until recently. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop for when she couldn’t take it anymore and made a major lifestyle change, like rejoining him at Mars Investigations because that’s where she learned to heal after Lilly died.

Veronica lined up her shot and sent the ball rolling toward the hole grazing the outside rim. Keith being a little distracted by his inner thoughts and concerns hit the ball too hard and passed the hole ending up on the opposite side of the turf.

Veronica finished her turn by sinking her ball into the hole on her fourth stroke. She looked over at Keith with a big smile knowing she had just won and they would be watching The South Park Movie tonight. Keith finished his turn by swinging two more times and ended up losing by one point.

They returned their golf clubs and made their way to the car to head home. “Alicia and I are going to go visit Darrell tomorrow. Meet his girlfriend, take them out to dinner, probably do a little sight seeing and then stay the night. Do you want to tag along, kiddo?”

“I made lunch plans tomorrow so I’m afraid you’ll have to interrogate the girlfriend all on your own. But tell Darrell I said hi.”

* * *

 

Once at home Veronica made two large ice cream sundaes while Keith popped some popcorn. They settled on the couch ready to watch the movie and relax for the rest of the evening. Halfway through the movie Alicia came home with take out for dinner and joined them on the couch.

With it still being early, Veronica let Keith put in The Cowboys. She was not particularly interested in watching so she sat on the living room floor and dug out the photos from earlier and started placing them in the different photo albums. Once she was done she told her father and Alicia goodnight and got ready for bed. With a heavy heart and being exhausted from a rather emotional day Veronica fell asleep looking at the photo of her, Tyler and Logan napping together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I had not planned on having this chapter, but I wanted to stick to the pattern of having one chapter per each day of Veronica's vacation. Chapter Eleven should be more exciting as it was a chapter I had mapped out from the beginning.


	11. Chapter 11

Veronica was sitting on the couch in the living room mid Tuesday morning nervously drumming her fingers on the arm until it was time to meet Rachel for lunch. Earlier in the morning she had gotten up to have breakfast with Alicia and Keith before they left to go to LA to visit Darrell. She showered, threw on a pair of blue jean shorts with a white and navy blue striped shirt and a pair of flip-flops. Veronica spent a little more time than usual applying her make-up and curling her hair into beach waves. She wanted to look nice without being overly dressy like she was trying to upstage Rachel.

She blew out a deep breath before collecting her messenger bag, phone and the keys to her father’s Crown Vic. Veronica hopped in the car and followed the directions Rachel texted her to get to her house.

Rachel lived in a nice three-bedroom house in a 08 neighborhood. The house was small in comparison to the other homes on the street but for one person it was plenty big. As Veronica walked up to the door she noticed all the personal touches that were added. There was a porch swing with decorative pillows next to a small table and chairs she imagined Rachel would sit at with Logan after a date gazing out at the stars. An outdoor rug was lying next to the door with ‘RB’ etched in fancy lettering and a wreath with a black plate that hung on the front door and read ‘Home is Where the Heart Is.’

Veronica resisted the urge to roll her eyes in case Rachel was hiding out and watching for her. She rang the doorbell and placed a big fake smile on her face that said she was thrilled to be here.

A few seconds later Rachel opened the door smiling. “Veronica, I’m so glad you made it, here come on in.” Rachel ushered Veronica inside and led her into the kitchen. Everything on the inside of the house was in light colors with a few bright accented decorations. “I just finished making lunch so I hope you’re hungry. It’s nothing fancy just a side salad and a roasted chicken, tomato, basil and mozzarella Panini.”

Veronica took a seat at the table where Rachel instructed her to sit. “Sounds delicious.”

“I poured some water for you but if you’d like something else I have iced tea, lemonade, soda, beer and wine.”

“Water is fine. Thank you.” Veronica smiled at Rachel and waited for her to take a seat at the table before she started to eat. Veronica tried to eat quickly hoping the faster she ate the faster she could leave. The lunch was not as bad as she pictured it being. They made small talk during the meal and when they were finished Veronica leaned forward to take her plate to the sink but stopped when it looked like Rachel was going to ask her something.

Rachel sat back in her chair and studied Veronica for a moment, dropping her smile, ready to get down to business and to get some answers. “What is it you want from Logan?”

Veronica was taken back by the hard edge in Rachel’s voice. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

“Are you just trying to be his friend again or are you trying to reclaim your title of being his girlfriend? You think that just because you and Logan haven’t mentioned your past that I wouldn’t find out?”

Veronica was stunned by Rachel’s outburst and her admission to knowing about their past. She kicked herself for thinking Rachel’s intentions for getting to know each other during lunch were pure. Instead she walked straight into an ambush. “Rachel, I never planned on seeing Logan when I first came to town. Running into him on the plane and then at the beach was a coincidence. I won’t apologize for that. I would be lying if I said I haven’t enjoyed getting to spend time with him again, we were best friends long before we ever started dating.”

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. “You still didn’t answer my question so let me rephrase it…do you still have feelings for Logan?”

Veronica looked down at her hands twisting together on her lap, giving herself a brief moment to make sure her emotions were in check. She was not going to allow Rachel to see her break. “Yes…” She looked up to meet Rachel’s stare. “And I always will. I love him. You don’t have to worry about me interfering in your relationship, I would never do that to him…or you.”

Rachel listened carefully to Veronica and then smiled. “Oh, I’m not worried. I mean, I’ll admit I was a little worried when I first met you, but since then I’ve learned a lot about you. And based on your past I don’t see Logan wanting to give it another try when you have only ever caused him pain. It’s really not all that surprising as to why you are still single and can count all of your friends on one hand. You’re damaged goods, Veronica, and no one wants a broken item.”

Veronica could not believe what Rachel was saying to her. It was nothing she hadn’t told herself a hundred times before but hearing someone else voice out loud the struggles that had haunted her for years cut her to the core. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I think I do.” Rachel smirked at Veronica. She could tell that what she was saying was getting to Veronica and she decided to just get on with delivering her final blows, the ones she gathered that would hurt Veronica the most. “Haven’t you ever wondered why everyone in your life eventually walks away leaving you all alone?”

Rachel stood up and started pacing back and forth while continuing her speech. “Lilly died because she didn’t trust you enough to share her secret. If she had, I bet Lilly would probably still be alive and Aaron would be in jail. I mean I can’t blame her for not confiding in you, you betrayed Logan by tattling on him for kissing another girl. She probably thought you’d turn your back on her too, which from my understanding you did, when you chose to side with your father in the investigation. Your friends couldn’t wait to toss your ass to the curb.”

Rachel stopped in front of Veronica. “Even your own mother left you. She drank herself to sleep every day and night because looking at you was a disappointment. A reminder of a life created with a man she didn’t want, so she fled the first chance she got. I believe Wallace walked out on you too in high school, without a goodbye, is that correct?” She saw Veronica flinch and didn’t wait for her to comment. “What do you think that says about you that your friends and loved ones can’t stand to be around you?”

Veronica was struggling to keep her mask in place. Rachel was hitting all the low points in her life, her biggest insecurities. Her mind was too busy reliving every failure she had had to endure in her lifetime to fight back.

“I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to your past romantic relationships, I mean what a mess. Your first boyfriend slash almost half-brother got another girl pregnant and kept it hidden from you. Wow! …Obviously Logan wasn’t satisfied with you either because after every break up you two had he would jump into bed with someone who had more experience. I’m not judging him for that kind of behavior, it was so long ago before we started dating and he doesn’t do that anymore. He’s matured over the years and I can keep him happy.”

Rachel sat back down in her chair facing Veronica. She put her arms on the table and leaned forward. “I almost forgot, Madison Sinclair told me to tell you hi, along with Shelly Pomroy and Carrie Bishop. They are such lovely girls, true friends who were worried about me enough to give me the heads up about you.” Rachel checked the time on her watch. “Oh, would you look at that, time flies when you’re having fun. I’ve got to get back to campus for my afternoon class. I’ll walk you to the door.”

Veronica stood up with a blank look. “That’s okay, I’ll escort myself out.” She walked to the front door feeling numb inside.

Rachel grabbed the door to hold it open while Veronica walked out. “Madison was right, you know. Logan really does prefer two-piece numbers, but I guess that’s something you’ll never get to experience. I’m never going to walk away from him like you did time and time again. We are going to get married and have kids and live a happy life together. You won’t be apart of it and I doubt Logan will notice your absence. You were gone for nine years and he didn’t mention you. How much could you really mean to him then?”

Veronica felt her heart shatter. She managed to make it back to her car and drive down the block out of sight from Rachel’s house before she pulled over and broke down into gut wrenching sobs. A few minutes later she was able to calm herself down enough to drive home. Before she could put the car into drive her phone started to ring. Veronica dug through her bag, pulled out her phone and looked at the caller ID. It was Logan. A few tears fell down her cheeks as she hit ignore and tossed the phone back in her bag. She placed the car in drive and drove off in a haze.

* * *

 

Logan was in his office at Surf Bro’s working on invoices and he was having a hard time focusing. For the past day and a half he kept going over every interaction he had had with Veronica since she arrived back in town. He couldn’t pick out anything specific that would give Dick the impression that Veronica had not moved on. He picked up the phone to call her. He thought seeing her again with an open mind might help him see for himself if what Dick saw was real or not. “Hey, Veronica. I was just calling to see if you would have dinner with me on Thursday. I hope we can see each other a few more times before you leave. Give me a call back and let me know if Thursday works for you. If not, pick any day or time and I’ll make it work.”

He needed to clear his head so he could finish his work. He quickly saved his spreadsheet and grabbed the set of spare clothes out of his gym bag. After changing and lacing up his tennis shoes he told Dick he would be back in an hour and set off down the beach for a quick run.

* * *

 

Later that night Veronica was standing in the living room of her father’s house swaying back and forth to the loud depressing music pouring out of the stereo nursing a nearly empty bottle of tequila.

The sound of the doorbell ringing broke her from her solo dance party as she went to go answer the door. She opened the door and her face grew in excitement at her unexpected guests. She threw her arms around them in a big bear hug and greeted them with heavily slurred speech. “Wally and Mackster! What are you guys doing here?”

Wallace noticed the tear streaked mascara marks stained on Veronica’s face and glanced at Mac with a concerned look. “You called and invited us over, V.”

“I did?” Veronica scrunched up her face trying to remember if she called them. She finally gave up and stepped aside waving them in. “Come on in, the party is just getting started!”

Mac looked to Wallace with wide eyes. “I think her party started several hours ago. Do you see how wasted she is?”

Wallace nodded and motioned for Mac to enter first. “Let’s go assess the damage.”

They walked into the living room and froze at the scene in front of them. The coffee table was filled with opened bags of chips that were spilled onto the floor, empty ice cream containers and an empty bottle of tequila. Full, unopened bottles of alcohol laid on the couch and all the pillows were scattered around the room.

Veronica was holding a new bottle of tequila that was already a fourth of the way gone. She continued to dance around the room to the music until she noticed Wallace and Mac staring at her. “Let me get you both something to drink.” She walked into the kitchen and pulled several drinks out of the fridge. “A beer for Papa Bear and a juice box for Mac.”

Wallace looked at Veronica in amusement. “V, you know Mac is old enough to have a beer.”

“She can’t have one.”

“Why not?”

Mac spoke in a warning tone. “Veronica…”

Veronica walked over and stood next to Wallace throwing an arm around his shoulder. “Her eggo is preggo, Wally.”

Wallace’s eyes widened in shock as Mac smacked her palm to her forehead. “Wait, what!?”

Veronica flopped down on the chair with her legs dangling over the side arm. “She got pregnant by Logan’s Dick.” She started to laugh and Mac groaned. “Her baby daddy is called Dick!” Veronica sent herself into a fit of giggles.

“You have got to stop announcing it like that.” Mac stood in front of Wallace in complete embarrassment. “This is worse than telling my parents.”

Wallace patted Mac on the back. “Congratulations. You know we all have your back.”

Mac smiled. “Thanks, Wallace. Now we just have to fix that.” She pointed over to the chair where Veronica was still laughing at her own jokes and sipping off the top of the tequila bottle. “It’s going to be a long night.”

They walked over to Veronica and waited for her to stop laughing. “Are you hungry? We could order some food.”

Veronica waved her hand to show off the coffee table contents. “I already ate.”

Mac looked around the room. “I can see that, but chips and a gallon of ice cream won’t help soak up all that alcohol in your stomach. How about some pizza?”

“I don’t want any, but you can order some if you’re hungry.”

Mac nodded to Wallace to place an order. She thought once the pizza was delivered and Veronica could see and smell it she would change her mind and eat something.

Veronica was halfway through the second bottle of tequila when Wallace came back into the living room. He took the bottle out of her hands as he passed by. “I think you’ve had enough.”

She shook her head in protest. “If I can still remember this afternoon then I haven’t had enough yet. I just want to forget…please, Wallace…let me forget.” She held her hands out waiting for Wallace to hand the bottle back.

Mac tried to distract Veronica from the booze. “What happened today, Veronica?”

Veronica crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the ceiling. “Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Wallace blew out a breath in exasperation. With the amount of alcohol flowing through Veronica’s system he knew it wouldn’t be hard to get her to open up, as long as he picked the right trigger. “What did Logan do this time?”

Veronica’s head shot up to look at Wallace with furrowed brows. “Why do you always assume Logan did something?”

“Because he’s usually the one who causes you enough pain to shut down.”

Veronica pointed at Wallace and winked, smiling big. “Not this time, Wallace. Logan is innocent. He’s mostly always innocent.” Her smile faded quickly and her eyes grew sad. “I’m…I’m the one to blame for all my pain. I always accuse him before I know the facts even though I know in my heart he’s innocent. It’s all my fault…”

Mac stayed silent trying to follow Veronica’s thoughts while Wallace cut in. “V…”

“You should blame me too, Wallace. I do. I accused you of siding with Jackie and you left. You just left and didn’t say goodbye or talk to me for weeks because I was such a bad friend to you. You were the best friend to me when I had no friends and I took you for granted. You left to get away from me because I was a horrible person, I don’t blame you, Wallace. I deserved it. I’m so sorry, Wallace, for everything.”

Wallace walked over and sat down in the chair with Veronica, wiping away her tears. He felt so heartbroken over the things she was saying. “Veronica, I did not leave town because of you. There was just a lot going on at the time and I couldn’t think straight. I came back because you’re my best friend. I could never leave you behind, Supafly, you’re too important to me.”

Wallace moved back over to the couch to sit next to Mac and to give Veronica some space. She was at the peak of her drunkenness and Wallace knew there would be more tears to come. Mac waited a minute before she gently pushed Veronica again. “Veronica, please tell us what happened today.”

“Rachel, she…god she’s such a bitch! She invited me to lunch today and then ambushed me about Lilly and my mom. She was right about my mom though, I was a disappointment to her because she was stuck with me and my dad instead of her beloved Jake Kane.” Veronica pulled a bottle of alcohol that was stuck in the crack of the chair she was sitting in and took a big gulp. “You know she thought Jake was my father but she was too scared to find out. She wanted to have a family with Jake so bad that she didn’t even tell me that Duncan could have been my brother when we started dating. If only she had loved me half as much as she loved Jake maybe she would have told me and saved me from all that trauma and heartbreak. I wasn’t enough for her so she abandoned me and my dad in the middle of the night.”

Wallace and Mac sat on the couch listening to Veronica’s drunken ramblings trying to understand her monologue. Rachel had pushed the right buttons with enough pressure to release twelve years of pain Veronica had bottled up. Pain that would probably never go away, just lessen over time. They didn’t try to take away the alcohol Veronica was sipping on because it was the only source of comfort she had at the moment. They wouldn’t let her drink until oblivion but for now they would allow her to dull the pain.

“She was wrong about Lilly. Lilly did trust me; she just loved a good secret. On the day she died she was going to tell me about Aaron…” Tears started to run down Veronica’s cheeks and she didn’t bother wiping them away. “I think she kept the secret for so long because she knew I’d be mad once I found out. I would have been so furious with her for hurting Logan but I wouldn’t have turned my back on her. She made a lot of poor choices but she was my best friend, I could have…I could have saved her, if only I’d known sooner.”

Veronica’s body was shaking with each sob that escaped. Wallace moved over to his best friend and held her while she cried. The doorbell rang and Mac got up to pay the pizza delivery kid.

* * *

 

Wallace, Mac and Veronica were lying on the living room floor with two nearly empty pizza boxes between them. Wallace and Mac managed to pile away almost an entire pizza each while Veronica only made it through half a slice.

Wallace had his hands resting behind his head. “Is Dick ready to be a dad?”

Mac smiled as she rubbed circles around her stomach. “Yeah, he’s excited and taking it seriously. I walked into his house yesterday and he was sitting on the couch reading _What to Expect When You’re Expecting._ I’ve never seen Dick read a book before. He was highlighting and taking notes in the margins. The baby’s ultrasound picture is his bookmark, it’s very adorable.”

Veronica took another drink out of her bottle, slowly running out of steam. “Dick is going to be a great dad. World’s third best dad!”

Mac looked over at Veronica questioningly. “Third?”

“Yeah. My dad is number one; Logan will be number two and Dick number three. And if Wallace has kids someday he can be tied for third with Dick.”

Wallace scrunched up his face. “Tied with Dick? Logan doesn’t even have kids, why is he number two?”

Veronica smiled softly. “He will someday. I wish I was the one who would be having his babies but he’s too busy sleeping with a tall brunette tramp in a two-piece lingerie set to see that I love him. I would give anything to be with him again, but I can’t because he’s with that slut Rachel.”

Wallace and Mac exchanged a wide-eyed look. They had known for years that Veronica was in love with Logan but she never admitted it before. Granted she was currently drunk off her ass, but these were her true feelings, pure vulnerability, all walls were down under the influence.

“Do you know how hard it has been to not lean in and kiss him when he’s only standing a few inches away? Or having to resist running my hands through his hair, down his chiseled chest and over his tight abs….”

Wallace made a fake gagging sound and covered his mouth. “I think I’m going to be sick. Please, stop describing what you want to do to Logan’s body.”

Veronica ignored his discomfort and kept talking. “He called me today and I didn’t answer, I just deleted his message because seeing him and not being able to be with him is killing me. I want to be his friend but it hurts so much.” Veronica closed her eyes as her face paled. A few seconds later she opened her eyes and made a mad dash to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach.

Mac followed Veronica into the bathroom with a glass of water and held back her hair while she threw up the copious amounts of alcohol in her system. Wallace started cleaning up the mess in the living room hoping to have it back to its former glory for when his mom and Keith returned home.

* * *

 

Thirty minutes later Veronica had finished vomiting. It was approaching 3am so Mac led Veronica back to the guest bedroom and helped her change into something to sleep in. Veronica was still a little dizzy and wobbly on her feet coming out of her drunken state so Mac held onto her while she changed to make sure she didn’t fall and get hurt.

Mac tucked Veronica in and waited until she fell asleep before rejoining Wallace in the living room. Wallace had reached out extra pillows and blankets. He placed a set on the couch for Mac and set on the floor for himself. “It’s too late to drive home. I figured we could just stay here until my mom and Keith get home, I don’t want to leave her here alone tonight.”

Mac sat down on the couch, which served as her makeshift bed for the night and ran her hands over her face. “How does she do it? How does she keep all that pain buried inside all the time and walk around like everything is fine? I would be curled up in a ball crying in the corner if I had to experience a fraction of what she’s been through.”

“She’s stubborn and strong as hell. If she wasn’t drinking tonight, we never would have seen her breakdown. I’ve been her best friend for eleven years and most of what she said tonight was new to me. She doesn’t talk about her feelings for Logan or her mom and she especially doesn’t talk about Lilly.”

“What happens in the morning when she wakes up and her walls are back in place? I don’t know how to help her.”

Wallace checked to make sure the front door was locked before turning out the living room light. He laid down on the floor and got comfortable. “Honestly…I think the only person who will be able to heal her is Logan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update will be in about two weeks... I'm going out of town and won't be able to write until I get back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience. Now back to your regularly scheduled reading! 
> 
> Warning: You may feel the need to shed a tear or two.

Keith and Alicia arrived home early Wednesday morning after visiting Darrell so they could unpack and change before turning around and heading into work. When they walked through the front door they saw Mac curled up onto her side asleep on the couch and Wallace was asleep on the floor sprawled out on his stomach.

Keith didn’t see Veronica and assumed she was in the guest bedroom. He quietly peaked his head into the room and saw Veronica sleeping. She did not look peaceful. Her dark makeup was smeared and smudged around her eyes and down her cheeks. Her face was pinched up in discomfort but he didn’t see any physical injuries on her body. He gently closed the door and moved back into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee.

Alicia bent down and gently nudged Wallace’s shoulder. He started to move waking up from the unexpected touch. “Wallace, baby, wake up. You have to get to basketball practice soon and I bet Mac needs to get to work.” She left Wallace on the floor and went back to the bedroom to get dressed for work herself.

Wallace rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, feeling exhausted from only getting about four hours of sleep. He stood up and nudged Mac awake. She headed toward the bathroom and Wallace sat down on a bar stool and grabbed the cup of coffee Keith handed to him.

Keith drank his coffee while peering over the rim of his coffee mug at Wallace. “The house is still standing, the furniture is intact and I see no bodily injuries…so tell me what went on around here yesterday for you and Mac to be asleep in the living room while my daughter looks like a hot mess and is passed out in the guest bedroom?”

Wallace took a large drink of his coffee before setting it on the counter. He had grown accustomed to Keith’s fatherly interrogations over the years. He wasn’t a master at surviving them like Veronica but he had learned how to give Keith enough information to answer his questions without lying. “We were just looking out for Veronica, she had a really tough day.” He climbed off the stool and started collecting his things. “She’s probably going to be pretty hung-over today, I wouldn’t leave her home alone.”

Mac came out of the bathroom and put her shoes on. Keith moved around the counter to stand in front of them. “Thank you both for watching over her.”

They both nodded and Mac gave Keith a hug. “She will be fine, she just needs time.” They left and Keith was left standing alone thinking about what he could do with Veronica for the day. He could either take her into the office like an old fashioned ‘bring your daughter to work day’ or he could stay home with her and try to get her to open up, but that seemed highly unlikely. He did agree with Wallace that Veronica would be far worse spending the day alone dwelling on the reasons that drove her to drown her problems away. He just needed to find someone to babysit his twenty-eight year old daughter without it being overly obvious.

Alicia walked back into the living room and collected her purse and keys. She kissed Keith on the cheek and walked to the door. “I’ll stop at the store on my way home and pick up some ingredients for homemade quesadillas tonight. Be good, I’ll see you later.”

Keith moved into the kitchen to rinse out the coffee pot and his mug. The doorbell rang as soon as he was finished drying his hands. Keith walked over to the door and opened it to find Tyler standing on the front porch holding a clear carrying case that housed Henry. Keith smiled down at the little boy. “Tyler, this is a nice surprise. How are you?”

Tyler flashed Keith a big grin. “Hi, Mr. Mars. Can Veronica play with me and Henry today?”

Keith laughed and waved Tyler inside. “Sure, kiddo. Come on in.” Tyler placed Henry down on the coffee table and hopped up on the couch next to Keith. “Veronica is still sleeping but I’m sure when she wakes up she would love to play.”

Tyler nodded. “Okay. I’ll wait. I told my mom I’d probably be here all day if that’s okay with you.”

“You are welcome here any time.” Keith smiled and thought for a moment about the perfect solution to his dilemma that just fell right into his lap. “You know what Tyler, I have a special job for you if you want it?”

Intrigue danced across Tyler’s eyes. “What is it? Do you need me to investigate for you? Did you lose a turtle?”

Keith chuckled. “No, nothing like that. I have to go to work but I can’t leave Veronica alone. She tends to get herself into trouble when I’m not here. I want you to be my Head of Security.”

“What do I do?”

“Watch over Veronica and keep her out of trouble. I’m putting you in charge, so if she gives you any lip you give me a call. I’ll put my phone number on the fridge. Are you up for the challenge?”

Tyler jumped up in excitement about his new job. “Yes, I can do it, Mr. Mars!”

Keith roughed up Tyler’s hair. “I know you can.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Your salary for the day.” Tyler’s eyes lit up as he was handed the wad of cash. “You can watch TV if you’d like and help yourself to any snacks. If she’s not out of bed in the next hour you can go in and wake her up. Call me if you need anything.” Keith wrote his phone number down and placed it on the fridge and grabbed his phone and keys and headed out the door. Tyler picked up the remote and turned the TV on waiting for Veronica to wake up.

* * *

After an hour of watching TV Tyler decided to go in and wake Veronica up. He walked down the hall and gently pushed the door open, tip-toeing into the room. He couldn’t see Veronica’s face because she had the covers pulled up over her head to block out the light filtering into the bedroom. Tyler carefully shook the Veronica shaped lump in the bed and whispered, “Veronica, wake up.”

Veronica groaned out in protest and snuggled further under the covers. “Go away, Wallace and let me sleep.”

Tyler threw his hands over his mouth to stifle his laugh. He gently tried to wake Veronica from her sleep for the next five minutes and when his attempts failed he climbed up onto the bed. Tyler sat next to Veronica’s waist and slowly pulled back the comforter covering her face. “Time to get up, sleepy head.”

As the cover was removed, Veronica immediately threw her hands over her eyes. “No.” She heard a little giggle and realized Wallace was not the person trying to wake her up. She slowly removed one hand and squinted at the figure sitting next to her on the bed. “Tyler…what are you doing here?”

“I’m your babysitter. Your dad hired me to watch you; he said you get into trouble when he’s not here. He made me Head of Security.” Veronica grabbed her head and closed her eyes while rubbing soothing circles at her temples. Talking was exacerbating her throbbing headache as a result from a night of drowning her pain in tequila. Tyler watched Veronica with a worried look. “Are you okay?”

“No, not really.”

Tyler was watching Veronica’s facial expressions and movements carefully. “Are you sick? Do you want me to call your dad to come back home and make you some chicken noodle soup? That’s what my mom makes me when I’m sick.”

Veronica gave Tyler a small smile and continued to keep her eyes closed while gently tending to her headache. “I’m not sick, you don’t have to call my dad. I just have a headache…actually it feels like elephants are walking on my head.”

Tyler laughed at how Veronica described her headache but when he saw her wince at the loud noise he made his smile disappeared. “I’m sorry…do you want me to go home so you can sleep?”

Veronica gave him a sad smile and opened her eyes. His kindness warmed her heart but seeing him sad, thinking that he might be the reason for her pain broke her heart. “No. I would really like it if you stayed and spent the day with me. I’m warning you now though, that I may not be very fun to be around today.”

Tyler’s smile grew at feeling wanted. He kept his voice low almost at a whisper as he spoke so he wouldn’t make Veronica’s headache worse. “Veronica, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, Bud. What is it?”

“What happened to your face? You have black marks all around your eyes and down your cheeks.”

Veronica lifted a hand to her eyes and rubbed at the dark eye makeup that was left on from yesterday. “It’s mascara. When it gets wet it runs and I didn’t get a chance to take it off before I fell asleep last night.”

Tyler thought for a minute about what she was saying. “How did it get wet? Were you crying?”

“Yeah. I was.”

Tyler leaned over placing his head on her chest and wrapped his arms around her waist in a big hug. She wrapped her hands around his small body and hugged him back. He sat up and moved to lie down next to Veronica putting his head next to hers on her pillow, both looking up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry you’re sad. I get sad sometimes too. At school they let me talk to Mr. Cooper when I feel sad and he takes my sadness away. Maybe I could help take your sadness away. You don’t have to talk to me about it if you don’t want to, but I’m here if you need me. I’m your friend.”

A few tears made their way down Veronica’s cheeks and she quietly wiped them away. “Are you hungry? I’ll take a quick shower and make us some pancakes.”

Tyler nodded and rolled off the bed. “I’ll go watch TV with Henry until you come out.”

Veronica watched Tyler leave the room and sat up. She slowly climbed out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She popped some Advil into her mouth and swallowed the pills down with a glass of water.

As she looked at herself in the mirror and saw the damage done from the previous night she realized the pain she felt would likely not go away and would only intensify if she stayed here in Neptune. She knew she had to go back to New York, even if she didn’t completely want to, the sooner the better.

Before Veronica got in the shower she walked back into the guest bedroom and pulled out her laptop. Her phone started buzzing across the desktop and she glanced down to see who was calling. Logan. This was his third call to her in the past twenty-four hours. She knew he kept calling because she hadn’t answered any of his other calls but she just couldn’t bring herself to pick up. Knowing if she did he would most likely hear the pain in her voice and he would come check on her and she wasn’t ready to see him. She didn’t want to breakdown in front of him so she chose to ignore his calls until she could face him without crying.

She logged into her airline account and moved her flight out of Neptune back to New York from Saturday to tomorrow morning. Veronica knew her dad would be mad that she cut her trip short but it was for the best at this point. She would never be able to move on from Logan but distance would make her situation a little more tolerable right now. The next challenge was breaking the news to Tyler. She decided to make the most of the day and tell him later in the afternoon.

* * *

When Veronica came out of the bathroom, she was freshly showered. Gone were all the remains of yesterday’s makeup and all that was left over were dark circles under her eyes from all the crying and lack of sleep. She was dressed in a pair of blue jean shorts and a red tank top with wet hair.

She walked into the kitchen and saw Tyler sitting on the couch watching SpongeBob SquarePants. Veronica reached out the pancake mix from the pantry and a bowl from a cabinet. She was looking into the fridge to see what other food they had before she turned around to face Tyler. “Do you want chocolate chips or blueberries in your pancakes?”

Tyler got off the couch and walked into the kitchen climbing up to sit on the stool at the center island. “Chocolate chips!”

Veronica started mixing up the batter and threw some chocolate chips into the mix. Once the pancakes were done she put one pancake on a plate for Tyler and turned it into a smiley face using whipped cream for the mouth and maraschino cherries for the eyes. She placed three pancakes on her own plate and poured them each a cup of juice.

They ate in silence for a few minutes until their tummies were no longer growling of starvation. Tyler was half way through his smiley face pancake when he put down his fork and took a drink of his juice. “Veronica…were you crying yesterday because you got in trouble?”

“No. I didn’t really get in trouble. My dad just said that because he was worried. I was crying because someone said some mean things and it upset me.”

Tyler started eating his breakfast again as did Veronica. “What did they say to you?”

Veronica took a drink of her juice and just pushed her food around her plate mindlessly. “She said the reason my best friend died and why my mom left me behind when I was younger was because I’m broken…damaged goods.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I have trouble trusting people and letting them in. Not showing them what I’m feeling instead just keeping it all to myself. I don’t talk about what bothers me because most people don’t understand what I’m going through and they will just turn my words against me.”

Tyler finished his pancake and pushed his plate aside. “You’re talking to me now so does that mean you aren’t broken anymore?”

“I’m still broken and I probably always will be. Too much has happened to me over the years. You are the only one I’ve opened up to willingly.”

“Why?”

Veronica smiled and pushed her plate away. “Because I trust you and I know you won’t judge me. You haven’t hurt me and I hope I never hurt you like I’ve hurt some other people I care about.”

Tyler scrunched his eyebrows together deep in thought. “What about Logan?”

“What about Logan?”

“Well he’s your friend too. Why don’t you talk to him and tell him when you’re sad, then he could help make you happy too, like me?”

Veronica looked down at her lap. “Logan is part of the reason I’m sad.”

“Why?”

Veronica looked over at Tyler with glistening eyes. “Because I love him. I’ve loved him since we were teenagers and he doesn’t know. I’ve never told him.”

Tyler smiled at Veronica. “Then let’s go tell him, right now!”

Veronica shook her head. “I can’t. He has a girlfriend, Rachel, and I don’t want to be responsible for tearing them apart, I’ve caused him enough pain. But seeing them together is what makes me sad, because I want Logan to love me like he used to. And anyway, he’s happy with Rachel now.”

“I don’t think he is.”

Veronica looked at Tyler with a raised eyebrow. “Why do you say that? You didn’t even know he had a girlfriend thirty seconds ago.”

Tyler smiled at her teasing tone. “Do you remember last week when we were walking home after we went to find Henry?”

“Yeah.”

“You said that Logan’s favorite place in the entire world was being out on the water when he’s surfing. When I asked him if that was true he said no.”

Veronica looked at Tyler a little confused. “Okay…but why would you think he wasn’t happy with Rachel?”

“Because when I asked him what his favorite place in the entire world was he looked at you.” Tyler smiled big flashing all of his teeth at Veronica with big excited eyes. “I’m not a baby, I’m seven and I notice things too.”

Veronica smiled. She had seen Tyler and Logan talking on the beach that day but never caught Logan looking at her. She was having mixed feelings now. “Even if you are correct, if he isn’t happy with Rachel then why is he still with her?”

Tyler shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, I’m only seven. Let’s go ask him!”

Veronica laughed a little. “We can’t just walk up to him and ask him why he hasn’t dumped Rachel yet. For one, that’s rude. And two, we don’t have the right to invade his privacy.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s rude, it’s just a question. If he doesn’t know you love him then how would he know he needs to dump Rachel?” Tyler smirked at Veronica just like Logan had always done when he won an argument.

Veronica blew out an exasperated breath. “I don’t know.” She knew Tyler was right but she also feared pouring her heart out to Logan would end in rejection. That moment of rejection would officially shatter whatever small sliver of her heart that remained intact.

“I think it would be really cool if you and Logan got married. I would come over and play with you all the time and Logan could take me surfing everyday!”

Veronica smiled and cleaned up their dishes before moving into the living room with Tyler to watch a movie. They ended up watching Despicable Me. Tyler suggested going to the movie theatre to see Finding Dory at first but quickly changed his mind saying he would wait to watch it when they could go see it with Logan. Veronica’s face fell at that statement knowing it would be a very long time, if at all, that the three of them would be in the same room again.

When the movie was finished Veronica grabbed the photo album she picked out for Tyler and the other one that was made for his parents. He put the one for his mom and dad in his book bag and sat down with Veronica to look through his album. He smiled, laughed and squeaked with joy as he flipped through the book filled with the new memories he had made with his two new best friends and Dick.

It was nearing time for lunch and Veronica’s stomach had already been growling for the past twenty minutes. “Hey, Bud, do you want to go walk down to the beach and grab lunch? We can take a little walk after and get some fresh air.”

“Okay.” Tyler slid off the couch and put his tennis shoes on.

Veronica walked back to the bedroom to slide her own shoes on and to grab her messenger bag. She glanced at her phone and noticed no new missed calls from Logan. She did however have a missed call from Mac and Wallace. She ignored calling them back and walked outside with Tyler on their way to the beach for the afternoon.

* * *

 

When Veronica and Tyler made it to the beach they took off walking in the opposite direction of the boardwalk to avoid Surf Bro’s and the possibility of running into Logan. They stopped at a food truck parked along the beach sidewalk and ordered lunch, a basket of chicken strips and French fries for Tyler and a basket of corndogs and French fries for Veronica.

Once they were done eating lunch they moved further down the beach to walk in the sand next to the water. Tyler would stop every couple of feet trying to pick up seashells and find shark’s teeth and sand dollars. Eventually they came up on an ice cream stand and Veronica got them each a vanilla dipped cone.

They took their dipped cones and sat down in the sand, eating and looking out at the incoming crashing waves. Veronica chose this moment to break her bad news to Tyler hoping the ice cream she had gotten for him would soften the blow. When they were both finished eating their cones she started to speak. “Tyler…there’s something I need to tell you.”

Tyler was sitting next to Veronica in the sand with his legs crossed Indian style in front of him. He was running his hands through the sand but when he heard the seriousness in Veronica’s tone he dropped the sand and looked over at her. “What is it?”

“Have you ever gone on vacation before?”

Tyler nodded his head. “Yeah, last year we went to Disney World. I got to meet Buzz and Woody and my mom bought me a shirt with Crush and Squirt on it from Finding Nemo!”

Veronica smiled at Tyler’s innocence. This was going to be harder than she thought. “You know how when you go on vacation you are gone for a few days, maybe a week or two, and then you come back home when the vacation is over?”

“Yeah.”

Veronica looked back out at the ocean and blew out a deep breath. “Right now I’m on vacation, I came to Neptune to visit my dad and Alicia and my friends.” She turned back to face Tyler. “I actually live in New York and my vacation is ending. I have to go back to New York tomorrow.”

“You’re leaving Neptune?” Veronica nodded her head. Tyler looked down at the sand and dragged his fingers through it while he sat silent. When he turned his head back up to look at Veronica there were tears in his eyes waiting to spill over. “Who am I going to play with? You’re my best friend and now I’m going to be alone again.”

“You’re not alone, Bud. Logan is your friend too and he is staying here. Dick is here too and so are my Dad and Alicia. I’m here for you too, but we will just have to be long distance best friends for a while.”

Tyler’s bottom lip was quivering and he flung his body at Veronica wrapping his arms around her neck in a tight embrace. His tears had spilled over and he was now crying hard into her shoulder. His voice was thick while trying to speak while crying and muffled from burying his face into Veronica. “Please, don’t go. I need you to stay. Please, Veronica, don’t leave me, don’t go.”

Veronica’s heart was breaking; she never intended to cause him so much pain. He had walked into her life and wrapped himself around her heart. She wrapped her arms around his back and began rubbing calming circles on his back while rocking him back and forth trying to be there for him while he cried. Tears were running down her own cheeks and she didn’t bother wiping them away. “Shh…shh…shh…it’s okay.”

After a few minutes, Tyler was still wrapped around Veronica but his crying had calmed down into shallow hiccups and sniffles. His face was buried into the side of her neck but she could still hear his voice. “When will you come back?”

“I don’t know.” She didn’t want to tell him a number because that would be unfair if she couldn’t keep her promise. She also didn’t want to tell him that the likelihood of her returning would be years. “You have my phone number, you can call me anytime you want. Just to tell me about your day, what you did with Henry, how your surf lessons are going or if you just need someone to talk to. I’ll always pick up.”

Tyler nodded his head and leaned back, letting his arms drop from around Veronica, sitting on his feet in front of her in the sand. “Okay.”

Veronica wiped the remaining tears and tear tracks from his cheeks with her thumb. She gave him a small smile and held out her hand. “Let’s go back to my dad’s house and play with Henry, okay?”

Tyler returned his approval with a sad smile and placed his hand in Veronica’s accepting her help to pull him off the sand. As they started heading up the beach to walk home Tyler grabbed Veronica’s hand and held on tightly the entire way back. He was afraid if he let go of her hand she would disappear back to New York. As long as he held onto her she couldn’t leave him.

* * *

Keith and Alicia ended up pulling into the driveway a few seconds apart. Keith helped grab the grocery bags out of Alicia’s hands and they made their way into the house. When they entered they saw Veronica sitting on the couch with Tyler sitting next to her watching a movie. His head was leaning against her shoulder and his hand was wrapped around her arm anchoring her to him and the couch.

Veronica looked up at her father and Alicia when she heard them come in through the door. Keith smiled at them, glad to see that Veronica looked better than she had this morning. There was still a look of sadness in her eyes that worried him and he didn’t know what the cause of it was because she wouldn’t talk to him about it. He was also grateful that Tyler was able to help Veronica today. “Hey, kids. Alicia bought stuff to make quesadillas if you’re hungry.”

Veronica turned toward Tyler. “Do you want to stay for dinner? I can walk you home after.” Just like telling Tyler she was going back to New York she was also nervous about telling her dad. While Tyler was sad she knew Keith would have a very different reaction and if she told him at dinner while Tyler was here, he wouldn’t be able to yell at her.

Tyler smiled up at Veronica, glad to be getting the chance to stay for dinner and to spend more time with her. “Yes, please.” They both got off the couch and walked into the kitchen to start making their homemade quesadillas.

* * *

 

The four of them were sitting around the dinner table making small talk. Keith had asked what Tyler and Veronica ended up doing today. They shared that they had watched a few movies and went down to the beach, purposefully leaving out her change in plans for tomorrow until she was ready to share.

After the talk around the table had slowed down Veronica sat up straight and cleared her throat, gathering Keith and Alicia’s attention. “I, uh…there has been a change in plans. I’m not heading back to New York on Saturday.”

Keith’s eyes widened. He was afraid of this, of Veronica coming back home and not wanting to go back to New York after spending time with her friends and…Logan. Before he could ask her to explain Veronica continued. “I’m actually heading back tomorrow morning.”

Keith’s mood changed from disappointment to anger. She was cutting her trip short. She was running. Again. And like before he didn’t know exactly what she was running from. He liked that she had gotten out of Neptune but he was worried and angry about how she always dealt with her problems. He wanted more time to sit down and talk to her. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her with hard eyes. “Why are you heading back early?”

Veronica looked down to avoid her father’s gaze. “It’s only two days early…and I have to get back to work.” It was a poor lie and she knew it. Her father would not believe she was going back to New York early for one day of work before the weekend hit but she didn’t have any other excuse to give.

“You originally asked off for two weeks, they know not to expect you back at work until Monday, so why are you going back now?”

“Joel sent me a heads up about a new case coming in and I’d like to have time to prepare for it before Monday. It’s going to be a big case that I will get to run point on. I need to read through the file and do a little research before meeting with our client.” There was no case and she had not heard from Joel since she left work two weeks ago.

Keith’s gaze was locked on Veronica’s with furrowed brows. He knew she was lying. “Veronica…”

Veronica met his eyes with a finalized look. “It’s too late to change my flight. I’m leaving tomorrow morning, it’s only two days earlier than I planned, it doesn’t change anything. I would have spent those two days by myself anyway…”

Keith bit back the remark he was going to say as he remembered the small guest sitting to Veronica’s right. Instead he stood up and stalked back to his bedroom and closed the door. He was angry and also hurt that he hadn’t been able to spend enough time with Veronica during her trip and that if he had maybe he would have been able to figure out what was going on with her.

Veronica knew her last comment went too far but she needed to stop the pleading head on. She was going back to New York, end of discussion. Alicia smiled as Tyler reached over and grabbed Veronica’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze at seeing the sadness on her face. They had grown into quite the duo over the past week and a half.

Veronica looked over at Tyler and gave him and appreciative smile. “Let’s clean up and get you home before your mom starts to worry.”

* * *

 

Veronica and Tyler made it to Tyler’s front porch. Veronica put Henry and Tyler’s book bag down on the porch swing and bent down to kneel in front of him putting her eyes at his level. “I’m really glad that you asked me to be your friend. You have become one of my best friends and I’m so very sorry I have to go, but I meant what I said on the beach. Anytime you need me just call.”

Tyler wrapped his arms around Veronica in a hug. “I’m really going to miss you. Please, come back soon, okay? I need my best friend.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” Veronica pulled out of the hug and waited for Tyler to walk inside before she left. As she was walking down the side walk back to her dad’s house tears were freely falling down her face. She didn’t expect saying goodbye to Tyler would hurt this much. He had become a best friend to her, a rock in her messed up life. She stopped around the corner from her dad’s house to collect herself, making sure all the remnants of crying were wiped off her face before walking inside.


	13. Chapter 13

Early Thursday morning Veronica was sitting in the back of a cab on the way to the airport. The previous night, after saying goodbye to Tyler, she had packed up all of her belongings, set them by the front door and made a reservation for a cab to pick her up in the morning.

She had made the unfortunate mistake of trying to apologize to her father about the comment she made during dinner, but since he was still mad their standoff escalated instead of resolving.

_Veronica finished packing and straightening up the guest bedroom before making her way into the kitchen. She passed Alicia in the living room who was learning how to knit little socks and hats in various colors for baby Casablancas, who would be arriving in approximately six to seven months. Keith was sitting at the kitchen island eating the remaining part of his dinner that he left abandoned after abruptly leaving the table earlier._

_Veronica took a seat next to Keith and sat silently staring at the clock on the microwave waiting for him to finish eating. Keith stood up to wash off his plate and once Veronica started talking he turned off the water and kept his back to her as he listened. “Dad, I’m sorry for what I said during dinner. I wasn’t complaining or trying to make you feel bad about not getting the chance to spend more time together. I know everyone is busy and working, but I…I just don’t want you to be mad before I go. I really am sorry.”_

_Keith turned around to face Veronica and his eyebrows were still narrowed in anger. “I’m not mad about your closing comment. It hurt to hear but I’m partially to blame. I should have spent more time with you and I apologize for that.”_

_Veronica looked at Keith with sad eyes. “Then what did I do that is still making you so mad?”_

_Keith took a step forward closer to Veronica, the island separating them and he placed his hands on the counter firmly like he was squaring off for a battle. “I’m mad that you’re leaving early. You’re running. Isolating yourself and your problems by pushing everyone who loves you away. I know there’s something going on with you. You’re not happy and now that I’ve had time to think about it you haven’t been happy in a long time. I’ve tried to talk to you, to help you and you refuse to let me in. Your behavior and emotional state over the past few days makes me extremely worried about sending you back to New York alone.”_

_Tears pricked Veronica’s eyes during Keith’s speech until his last remark. His last statement had struck a nerve. Her tears rescinded and a defensive mask of ice overtook her features. “You’re worried I’m turning into mom, right? That’s what you’re trying to say.”_

_All the anger dissipated out of Keith and now all he felt was a hard twist of guilt. He wasn’t thinking about Lianne at all, he just meant that he thought it would be best if Veronica were surrounded by family while she worked through her troubles. He hated that he was responsible for the look on Veronica’s face with the thought that one of her biggest fears was coming true. He stepped around the counter and wrapped his arms around Veronica, resting his head on top of hers. She remained stiff in his arms, unwilling to accept the comfort he was providing. “No, Veronica. I never thought you would turn into your mother and I still believe that. You are nothing like her; you are so much stronger than she ever was. All I want is for you to be happy; it breaks my heart to see you in so much pain. If you could find it in yourself to trust me, open up and explain to me what has you hurting so much I could help you. I am your father after all, there’s nothing you could tell me that I couldn’t handle, it’s part of the job.”_

_Keith stepped away to give Veronica some space. He took the chair next to hers and waited for her to reply. Veronica kept her head down focused on the counter where her hands twisted together. “Dad, if you knew some of the things I’ve done, the choices I’ve made…”_

_"Veronica, I’m not going to approve of everything you say or do, that would be impossible. What I’m trying to say is that there is nothing you could tell me that would make me love you any less, that I can promise you. So are you ready to tell me what’s wrong?”_

_Veronica ran her hands over her face and smoothed down her hair. “I do trust you…but this is one topic I can’t talk to you about…”_

_“Why not?” Keith waited for Veronica to answer him but she didn’t respond. He closed his eyes once the reason hit him. “Because you think I won’t approve of your solution to happiness?”_

_"I know you won’t. We have gone head to head on this topic for years.” Veronica blew out the breath she was holding and kept her head down unable to look at her father. “You really want to know what will make me happy? Being with the one person you have never wanted me to end up with.”_

_Keith took a deep breath trying to keep his voice calm. “Logan.” It wasn’t a question, he knew without a doubt that was who she was referring to. He had hoped she was going to say something else like moving to a new city would make her happy or getting more opportunities to spend time with friends and family. A large part of him was also hoping she would deflect with humor and claim a pony was the key to her happiness. For once in her life she told him the truth and now they would have to have the long overdue discussion about his concerns for her and Logan._

_Veronica nodded her head. “Yeah, Logan.” She got off the stool and walked over to the counter to start a pot of coffee, keeping her back to Keith to avoid his judgment. “It doesn’t matter anyway, Logan is not available so you can relax. I don’t see us getting back together.”_

_While Veronica’s back was still facing him Keith rolled his eyes and shook his head. God, his daughter was stubborn. As much as he would love to believe they would not be getting back together he knew better. He wasn’t blind; he saw the magnetic pull between them. It was the kind of attraction most people dream about finding, he just didn’t think Logan and Veronica were ever able to make a healthy relationship out of it and that is where his concerns stemmed from. But now that they had spent some time together for the first time in nine years it was inevitable that they would be getting back together. The only unanswered question was, when would it happen? “Humor me for a moment, let’s say you and Logan did get back together, what then?”_

_“Are we really going to do this right now?”_

_“I think it’s past time, don’t you?” Keith folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair staring at the back of Veronica’s head. “So, what would the two of you do? Keep it long distance or would Logan move to New York?”_

_Veronica spun around facing Keith and shook her head slightly in disbelief. Of course her father would think those were the only two options. “Honestly?” Keith nodded his head yes, stating he wanted the truth from her. “Neither. If we ever got back together I would move back to Neptune.”_

_Keith stood up from his chair and gripped the counter as his anger was rising. “You would just throw away everything you worked so hard for, just give it all up for Logan? How could you risk it all for a boy who you only managed to make it work with for a couple of months at most?”_

_Veronica’s eyes were burning with fire. “I wouldn’t be throwing away anything. There are ADA and DA jobs everywhere. I like my job in New York and working with Joel is an amazing opportunity, but if I had to choose between my job in New York and Logan, I would pick Logan. For the past nine years I have been experiencing what it’s like not having Logan in my life and I’m miserable! If we got back together I know in my heart it would be different, we would find a way to make it work this time because I would never let him go. I love him. I always have and I always will.”_

_Veronica saw the anger still shining in Keith’s eyes. She abandoned the steaming pot of coffee that she no longer desired and walked out of the tension filled kitchen back to the guest bedroom. She quickly gathered up a few items before heading into the bathroom. Veronica stripped off her clothing and stepped into the shower. After a few seconds of standing still letting the hot water stream down over her body she placed her hands out in front of her on the wall, holding herself up as gut wrenching sobs wracked through her body._

When she arrived at the airport, getting through the security checks had gone much quicker than on her flight out of New York. She still had roughly an hour before the plane started its boarding process so she stopped at Starbucks to grab a coffee. Once she arrived at her terminal she sat in a chair off to the side and thought about the previous night’s chat with her dad.

She was still so mad at him this morning that she locked herself in the guest bedroom until her cab showed up. Only then did she leave the room, throwing a quick goodbye and thanks for letting her stay over her shoulder before getting in the cab. Keith told her he loved her, to travel safe and he would call her later tonight after she got settled in, for which she had no intention of answering his calls.

Veronica didn’t understand how her father could sit there and tell her that he wanted her to be happy more than anything in the world, but would refuse to come to terms with what her happiness consisted of. She knew Keith did not particularly like Logan. He only ever saw the hot headed, troublesome rich kid with no regards for safety and no respect for authority. That wasn’t who Logan was and she had tried to convince her dad to see the truth. The Logan he saw was a cover to protect himself from all the suffering, abuse and loss he dealt with on a daily basis. The Logan Veronica saw was a kind, caring and selfless man who would sacrifice everything to protect her. The type of man who loved with his entire heart, body and soul and who could read her better than anyone.

The overhead announcement calling all passengers for flight 0922 to New York claimed her attention. Veronica waited until her boarding zone was called before standing up and moving toward the podium. She scanned her ticket and started making her way down the ramp to board the plane that would take her back to a life she was no longer excited for, it was everything she no longer wanted.

* * *

 

After Veronica left Keith felt an overwhelming wave of sadness and guilt. He couldn’t keep his anger at bay last night and went too far. Now he feared that his daughter wouldn’t forgive him and it would be years before he saw or spoke to her again. He would make sure to call her tonight and apologize; he had to fix this rift between them before it hit a point of no return.

Keith was supposed to be heading into the office but he just didn’t feel like working today so he decided to stay home. He walked down the hall to the guest bedroom and opened the door. Veronica had moved everything back to the way it was before she visited, it was almost like she hadn’t spent the last twelve days in this very room.

He moved into the room and sat down on the neatly made bed taking in the entire room. He noticed a one-foot by one-foot square box sitting on top of the dresser, a box that didn’t belong to either him or Alicia. Keith got off the bed and walked across the room to inspect the box to see if it was something Veronica forgot to take with her.

The box was solid black in color and sealed closed by a red ribbon, tied like a Christmas present with the ends forming a bow on top. Stuffed between the box and the decorative ribbon was a white envelope addressed in black inked capital letters. _LOGAN_.

Keith was battling the nosy investigator inside him to not open the box. He was quickly losing the battle until he heard the doorbell ring. He walked away from the box and left the room leaving the door open and made his way to the front door. When he opened the door he was shocked, he wasn’t expecting to see the face on the other side of the door for a long time, if at all. “Logan.”

Logan was standing on the front porch wearing grey khaki shorts, a green form fitting t-shirt and his grey Nike Janoski’s. He would have been over to the Mars-Fennel residence earlier in the morning but he wanted to wait until after Keith left for work so he could talk to Veronica alone. It seemed luck was not on his side today. He looked Keith in the eye nervously and nodded hello. “Mr. Mars…I’ve been calling Veronica all week but she hasn’t been answering my calls. Is she home? Would it be all right if I came in to talk to her for a few minutes and to see if she’s okay?”

Keith saw the concern in Logan’s eyes and he felt bad for having to be the one to break the bad news to him. “She’s not here. Logan…Veronica went back to New York this morning.”

Logan’s face fell and he was fighting back the tears he felt stinging his eyes. He felt like the wind was knocked out of him just like the last time she left without any warning. “What…she left? I thought she wasn’t supposed to leave until Saturday. Did she…did she say why?”

The heartbroken look on Logan’s face was the same expression he had seen on Veronica’s face all week. “She said she had a new case and client she needed to be prepared for before Monday.” In this moment, watching Logan fight his inner emotions, trying his hardest not to breakdown on the front porch, he realized how much Logan still loved his little girl. He now knew he needed to start accepting the fact that one day Logan would be apart of his family whether he liked that idea or not. “Would you like to come in for a few minutes? I can make you a cup of coffee or…”

“No, thank you. I, uh…I need to get back to work.”

“Of course.” Keith watched Logan turn to leave and remembered the box. “Wait, Logan! Can you hold on for a moment?” Logan nodded his head and Keith disappeared down the hall to retrieve the box. “I found this in the guest bedroom this morning after Veronica left. Its for you.”

Logan slowly took the box from Keith and thanked him before walking down the driveway and climbing into his car. Keith closed the door after watching Logan drive off. The sadness he saw in Logan’s eyes haunted him, it was the same look he saw on so many faces when he was Sheriff and had to tell a person that their loved ones wouldn’t be coming home. Keith needed a distraction so he picked up his briefcase and headed into the office.

* * *

 

Logan called Dick when he got back in the car to tell him he was taking the rest of the day off for personal reasons. He planned on spending the rest of the day at home and wasn’t even surprised when he parked his car in an empty lot off a secluded beach. The beach wasn’t private it just didn’t generate a lot of tourist foot traffic, which was why Logan came here. It was quiet and gave him the space and privacy he needed to think.

Logan stepped out of his car and grabbed the black box with the red ribbon Keith had handed to him before finding a spot in the sand to sit. He stared at the box for a few minutes working up the courage to open and examine its contents. He finally picked up the white envelope with his name scrolled across the top in Veronica’s handwriting and broke the seal, pulling out a handwritten letter.

_Logan,_

_I don’t know when this box will find you but I just wanted to start off by saying that I am so very sorry for everything. I never meant to hurt you. I’m sure if you were to ask my dad why I left he would say it was because I was mad at him or I had to get back to work. That’s not the real reason I left although it is the excuse I gave._

_I hope one day I will be able to tell you why I left but right now the pain is too fresh. I’m not asking for forgiveness because I don’t deserve it. I just wish in the end you will still call me a friend._

_Speaking of friends…please look after Tyler for me. Take him surfing, let him introduce you to all of his favorite movies, take him out for ice cream, play with Henry together and show him the ins and outs of Surf Bro’s. He idolizes you, Logan. And not in the son of two famous movie stars way, but the way a kid looks at his greatest hero or mentor. Take care of him; it would break my heart if he lost his only two friends at the same time._

_I’m so sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you over the years, you never once deserved it and I wish that I could take it all back. You mean more to me than you will ever know._

_Love,_

_Veronica_

Logan read through the letter two more times, committing every word to memory before putting it aside. He pulled one end of the red ribbon, collapsing the neat bow and sliding the rest of the ribbon off the box. He lifted the lid off the box and pushed the tissue paper to the side to reveal a black covered photo album.

He turned the cover over and studied the first few photos. All of the photos on the first couple of pages were of him surfing, some capturing Dick but mostly they were just of him. It took him a moment to recall when these pictures were taken; it was when he invited Veronica to the beach last Saturday with Dick, Mac and Rachel. He smiled when he realized that Veronica had been watching him all day in order to capture these shots.

He flipped through the next few pages containing pictures of Tyler’s surf lessons. Veronica started to appear in the photos halfway through the album and as he looked at them, everything Dick had said on Sunday came flooding back to him. Veronica’s body language and the way she was looking at him, eyes sparkling, said it all. Veronica was in love with him. He mentally slapped himself, how could he not have seen it earlier? From that very first moment their eyes locked on the plane her eyes were radiating with love, for him.

He got to the last page of the album and his heart exploded, tears were cascading down his cheeks. The final photo was of him, Veronica and Tyler asleep on his couch. He couldn’t take his eyes off Veronica in the photo. One of her arms was wrapped around Tyler, the other was resting on his thigh, her entire body was pressed up against his and her head was cradled on his shoulder. The look on her face was a mix between innocence, vulnerability, love and complete trust. His body was also responding, one arm around her shoulder and the other across her waist pulling her as close as possible. Love, peace and happiness displayed on his features. It took him a few minutes to realize there was a handwritten caption under the photo. _“Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.” –H. Jackson Brown, Jr._

Logan stayed on the beach looking through the album over and over again until the sun dipped below the horizon and he could no longer see the photos on the page. He gathered up the photo album and the white envelope placing them back inside the box for safe keeping before heading back to his car to go home.

* * *

 

Mac was lying on the couch reading sections that Dick had flagged for her out of the book _What to Expect When You’re Expecting_. Her feet were propped up on Dick’s lap while he played video games. They heard the door coming in from the garage open and before they saw anyone emerge Dick called out. “Dude, Logan, you’ve been gone for hours. Did you and Ronnie finally make up for lost time?” Logan turned the corner into the living room and Mac saw him first. His eyes were red-rimmed, bloodshot and sad. Mac poked her toes into Dick’s side to tell him his comment was not appropriate right now and to take notice of his best friend. “Ouch, what?”

Logan sat down and looked up to meet his two friend’s concerned looks. “You were right, Dick. Veronica still loves me.”

“She finally told you, that’s great!” Dick noticed that Logan looked even worse after his comment. “I thought that was what you wanted, why do you still look so glum?”

Logan leaned back and dropped his head along the back of the couch staring up at the ceiling. “She didn’t tell me, I saw it in her eyes from a picture she gave me and then I did what you said to do. I thought back over the past week and all the signs were there. I have been waiting nine years for this moment, how did I not see it when it was right in front of me?”

Mac put her book down on the coffee table and removed her feet from Dick’s lap so she could sit up beside him. “I think your brain was trying to protect your heart. Clouding what was right in front of you so you wouldn’t get your heart broken again when she goes back to New York.”

Logan released a pained laugh. “Yeah, I see how well that worked. I didn’t see that she loves me, now she’s gone and I still feel crushed.”

“What do you mean Ronnie’s gone?”

Logan ran his hand over his face. “I went over to her house this morning to talk because she had been ignoring my calls but I was too late. Keith said she had already left to go back to New York.” Logan lifted his head off the back of the couch and saw a shocked look on Dick’s face and thought it was odd not seeing a matching expression on Mac’s. “Did you know she left early?”

Mac shook her head. “No, but after the week she had it’s really not all that surprising.”

Logan was alert now. He stood up and started pacing back and forth across the living room. “After the week she had? What happened this week, Mac?”

Mac scrunched up her face at being caught in the middle. In order to get through this conversation she would have to betray a good friend. “Just so you know I’m breaking a best friend code of secrecy, but I think it’s more important for you to know what has been going on.” Mac took a deep breath trying to decide where the best place to start would be. “Apparently, on Tuesday, Rachel invited Veronica over for lunch and Veronica went because she loves you and doesn’t want to be rude to your girlfriend. Logan…the lunch was a ploy to get Veronica alone so Rachel could ambush her.”

Logan stopped pacing and turned toward Mac with fire building behind his eyes. “What!?”

“Rachel had obviously done her homework on Veronica because she managed to hit all the right spots that would hurt her the most. When Wallace and I got a call that night from Veronica asking us to come hangout we raced over there, we were concerned, she didn’t sound great on the phone. She had already started on her second bottle of tequila when we arrived and it just went downhill from there.”

Logan started pacing again. “Did she tell you what Rachel said to her?”

Mac took another deep breath. “Yeah, it was a little hard to piece the story together with the state she was in but I figured out the majority of it. Rachel threw Lianne in the mix, saying how Veronica was responsible for Lianne leaving town because she was a disappointment by not being Jake Kane’s daughter. And…”

Mac trailed off not sure whether she should continue and Logan turned around to face her. “What?” He saw Mac hesitating and knew whatever she had to say wouldn’t be good. “Please, Mac, just tell me what she said.”

“Rachel…she mentioned Lilly…” Mac saw the rage burning in Logan’s eyes and nudged Dick. Dick then carefully escorted himself out of the living room and down the hall to the bathroom. “…and she…blamed Veronica for being the reason why Lilly was murdered.”

Without thinking Logan spun around and threw his fist into the wall. He was furious at Rachel for sinking so low and at himself for failing to protect Veronica again. He didn’t know why Rachel went after Veronica, he assumed Rachel saw the connection between them and became jealous. She must have been trying to eliminate her threat by driving Veronica out of town. He didn’t care what her motives were or what her end game was, he was now done with her. She should never have messed with Veronica.

He pulled his hand away from the wall that was now sporting a nice new hole. Blood ran over his cracked knuckles and Dick came back into the living room with a first aid kit. Dick cleaned up the cuts on Logan’s hand and placed a band-aid over the larger gashes before grabbing Logan a pack of ice. Logan sent an apologetic look Dick’s way for the mess he created and Dick waved him off saying it was no big deal he would call someone tomorrow to come in and fix it.

Logan gently placed the ice pack on his rapidly bruising knuckles and sat down on the edge of the coffee table. Lianne and Lilly were topics used to hurt Veronica but he knew they wouldn’t be enough to send her back to New York early. The 09er’s used to throw Lianne and Lilly in Veronica’s face every day in high school and it never broke her. He knew something else must have been said. “Did Veronica mention anything else?”

Mac went back over Tuesday night trying to remember what else Veronica had let slip. “She didn’t really say anything else except that you were too busy sleeping with a brunette in a two piece lingerie set to see that she still loves you.”

“Two piece lingerie set…” Logan was talking to no one in particular, just trying to jog his memory. The past hit him quickly and he jumped up yelling, the anger building inside him once more. “God, damn it, Madison!”

Logan moved toward the wall again and Dick spun him around. “No more punching walls. The next hit will definitely break your hand.”

Some of the fight left Logan. “I wasn’t, I…”

Mac waited until Logan had calmed down a bit more. “What about Madison?”

Logan slumped down on the couch replacing the ice pack on his hand. “Freshman year at Hearst the last time Veronica and I broke up was because of Madison. Veronica was at the mall buying lingerie, I guess for our date we had planned that week and ran into Madison who purposefully mentioned that she and I had slept together in Aspen over winter break. She knew Veronica and I were back together and when she saw what Veronica was trying to buy she threw Veronica’s insecurities towards sex in her face. Madison said not to even bother buying a one-piece outfit because I prefer the two piece ones. Madison must be Rachel’s informational source.”

Mac was starting to understand why these comments had hurt Veronica so much now that she had more of the background story. She looked over at Logan who sat on the couch cradling his hand with tortured eyes. “Do you think that comment about the lingerie is what ran her off?”

Using his uninjured hand he ran it over his face to clear his thoughts. “No. I think Rachel said something else to Veronica or it could have been a combination of things said. Whatever it was caused her enough pain she had to run to get away. I need to find out what was said to her so I can fix it.” Logan stood up and placed the ice pack on the table. He walked into the kitchen to grab his car keys with Mac and Dick trailing behind him.

“Dude, where are you going? It’s after one in the morning.”

“I’m going to have a much needed chat with Rachel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four more chapters to go in this story! The last chapter will be 17.


	14. Chapter 14

Early Friday morning Logan was sitting in his car parked in the street outside of Rachel’s house. When he left his house several hours ago he had every intention of waking Rachel up at one-thirty in the morning to have their talk. Once he actually arrived at her house he no longer had the energy for it.

Yesterday turned out to be a very emotionally exhausting day, first with finding out that Veronica had left to go back to New York, realizing that she still loved him, discovering pieces as to why she left and finally his emotional outburst that ruined their living room wall.

The drive over to her house had calmed him down a little bit and he then he started to crash over his exhaustion. He desperately wanted to talk to Rachel, to demand answers from her, but he wanted to question her when he was clear-headed and alert. He didn’t want to risk missing anything important she might say that would better help him understand where to begin fixing his relationship with Veronica.

After catching a few hours of sleep in his car he woke up feeling a lot more refreshed. It was still fairly early in the morning, just after 6am, and he couldn’t wait any longer. He climbed out of his car and made his way across the street. Rachel didn’t teach any classes on Friday’s during the summer and he knew he would likely be waking her up to have this talk but he just didn’t care.

Logan rang the doorbell a few times impatiently to make sure she would hear it. About a minute later the door opened to reveal Rachel who looked like she was still half asleep. Her hair was lightly tangled and she had on a tank top and pajama pants underneath a light robe that she was trying to tie together after feeling the chilly morning air. “Logan? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

Upon seeing Rachel for the first time since Logan found out about her involvement in running Veronica out of town his blood started to boil. “Can I come in? I need to talk to you and I’d rather not do it on your front porch.”

Sensing the seriousness in his tone she took a step back, opening the door wider to allow him to come inside. She followed closely behind him to the living room and took a seat in one of the chairs adjacent to the couch watching him stand stiffly in front of her. “What happened, Logan? You’re starting to worry me. Please, tell me what has got you so tense right now.”

Logan turned around to face Rachel; his eyes were burning with fire shooting daggers at her. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out about what you did?”

Rachel’s eyes widened at hearing Logan yell at her with such force. “What are you talking about?”

“Veronica.” Logan narrowed his eyes at Rachel telling her not to play dumb because she’d already been caught. “You invited her to lunch and verbally attacked her. She hasn’t done anything to you to deserve that type of treatment.” He shook his head at her childish behavior. “Well, whatever your plan was it worked. She left early for New York yesterday without saying goodbye to anyone. Why did you do it? Jealousy?”

Rachel looked down and nervously twisted her hands together on her lap before looking back up at Logan. “At first, no. When you told me one of your old friends was back in town for a few days I was really excited for you. You only ever hangout with Dick and Mac, sometimes Wallace, and there is nothing wrong with that, they are great friends. You just sounded so happy when you talked about hanging out with an old friend and I love seeing you happy, so it didn’t bother me that you were spending time catching up with her.”

Logan’s voice was still cold but no longer yelling. He wanted answers and he figured yelling at Rachel would probably make her stop sharing at this point. “What changed? Obviously something did for you to act the way you did.”

“Last Friday at the Hearst Banquet dinner, I saw the two of you dancing. It wasn’t that you danced with her; I know I told you to do it, but it was the intimacy the two of you shared. The way you held her and looked at her like she was the only other person on that field. It made me jealous because you and I have been dating for two years and we don’t have that deep connection. It felt like you were slipping away from me after she had only been in town for a week. I tried to hang on and I hoped if I could just make it one more week she would be gone and you would be focused on me again.”

Slowly tears started rolling down Rachel’s cheeks and she carefully wiped them away ignoring the hardened stare on Logan’s face waiting for her to continue. “By Sunday you were pushing me away. I offered to help you with Tyler’s surf lesson, but you didn’t want me there. I was hurt and I was angry, so when I went to the Country Club I just vented everything out. Madison, Carrie and Shelly started telling me stories about Veronica from high school. They kept encouraging me to make a stand before I lost you to her. I came over to your house later that afternoon and you and her were snuggled together on the couch and I just couldn’t take having her here in Neptune any longer! So I invited her to lunch to remind her that she walked away from you and you were with me now.”

Logan was taking deep breaths to control his rapidly growing anger. “I understand jealousy, trust me I do, but what you did went way past that. You weren’t trying to remind her, you wouldn’t have had to bring up her mother or Lilly or any other piece of our past to do that. You wanted to hurt her because you felt hurt.” His voice was growing louder every second. “Do you feel better? Did knocking Veronica down a few pegs, using her most traumatic memories to emotionally break her make you feel like you had won? If this was your plan to drive Veronica out of my life, congratulations, you succeeded. Just know that you drove me away too. The second you went after Veronica you and I were done.”

Rachel was starting to get angry and defensive the more Logan spoke. “That’s awfully hypocritical of you, don’t you think? Yelling at me over my treatment of Veronica when you emotionally tormented her for almost an entire year in high school! Probably dishing out a lot worse than what I said to her.”

“The difference is that I regret it! All of it! If I could go back and change the way I treated her, I would do it in a heartbeat! I love her!” Rachel’s eyes widened at the declaration she never received from Logan but Logan didn’t notice because he was staring down at the floor. His voice grew quieter. “I should have been there to protect her, I never wanted her to feel that type of pain again. I failed her back then just like I failed her now.” A few moments of silence passed before Logan lifted his head up to look into Rachel’s eyes. “Do you regret what you did?”

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Logan. She was still reeling from the fact that he could so easily proclaim his love for a woman he hadn’t seen or spoken to in nine years, but couldn’t say it to her, his girlfriend for the past two years. “No. I regret that I hurt you and that you’re upset with me right now, but I don’t regret what I said to Veronica. I think she needed to hear it. If she was as torn apart as you say she was then it’s obvious that she finally recognized the truth in what was said. Maybe now she will be more aware of the lives she’s ruined and you and I can move forward and begin to repair the damage her little visit created between us.”

Logan was fuming, continuously clenching and unclenching his fists together tightly by his side, irritating his bruised and swollen knuckles with each squeeze. “What the hell is wrong with you? I don’t even recognize you anymore! The girl I met in college who helped me study and who I developed feelings for two years ago…hell, even the woman I took to dinner last week is gone. One of the things I liked most about you was your kind, caring and easy going personality. You came from money like the rest of us but you were so different. You didn’t act like the spoiled, rich brats who grew up here in Neptune, but now…you’re just like all the other vindictive 09ers I hate.” Logan started walking toward the front door but stopped at the edge of the living room and turned around to face Rachel. “And just so we’re clear, this whole chat was me breaking up with you. There is no more us, Rachel.”

Tears streaked Rachel’s cheeks as she watched Logan walk to the door. She had one last question to ask him before he walked out of her life forever. “Was there ever a future for us?” She saw him stop in front of the door with his hand on the knob when she started speaking. He didn’t turn around so she took that as her cue to elaborate. “If Veronica never came back to Neptune would you have loved me?”

Logan kept his back to Rachel not wanting to see the hurt in her eyes because he was still so furious with her. His voice was soft, barely above a whisper but loud enough for her to hear him from across the room. “I would have cared for you greatly, but it never would have been love.”

Rachel nodded her head as more tears ran down her face. She closed her eyes briefly as the heartbreak rushed over her. “I love you…I really do. I never pushed you to say it back, I know in the beginning we decided to take it slow and after two years I thought you loved me too, but you were just being cautious. I was willing to give you all the time in the world because even if you hadn’t told me you loved me it felt like we were moving forward.”

Logan took his hand off the doorknob and turned around. “Rachel…”

“I was ready to marry you, Logan. I wanted to start a family with you, to grow old together and to be two happy people in love. I guess I was just so caught up in the fantasy of what I imagined our lives being that I didn’t notice that you weren’t on the same page as me. Why did you stay with me if you didn’t picture us having a future together?”

Logan took a few steps away from the door and moved closer to the living room. “It wasn’t that I didn’t see a future for us, I just didn’t see the future you described. I want a family, a wife, kids, and maybe even a dog, just like you… I just can’t picture myself creating a family with anyone other than Veronica. I am so sorry that I hurt you. I realize now that I shouldn’t have taken up a relationship with you or anyone else just so I wouldn’t have to be alone. I take full blame in leading you to believe that we were moving toward more. I won’t forgive you for what you did to Veronica, but I am sorry for my part in causing you pain.”

Logan made his way back over to the door. This time he managed to get the front door open without any further comments from Rachel. “Stay away from Madison, Shelly and Carrie. Don’t believe the friendship they offered you was real; those three never do anything unless it benefits them in some way. You were just a sacrificial patsy in their twisted game.” Logan walked through the door, closing it behind him before climbing into his car to head back home.

* * *

 

Midmorning, Veronica slumped down on her couch in her New York apartment itching for something to do or at the very least to find a distraction to keep her mind off of all things Neptune related.

She had already tried everything her apartment had to offer. She began by unpacking her suitcase and washing all her clothes she had worn on her trip. When she was finished with that she scrubbed, dusted and reorganized every inch of her space. Cleaning became an outlet for her, beginning when she was in high school, to dispense any built up anxiety and reclaim control in her life. Now that all the cleaning had been done she was slowly losing control again.

Her heart and her brain were currently in a battle over where she should be. She wanted to drop everything, repack her bags and hop on the next flight back to California, but she only ever made it as far as the bedroom door before she talked herself out of it and turned around to sit back down on the couch.

She picked up her phone to place an order for take out and stared at the notifications hovering over her voicemail. She had declined five calls yesterday, a few of which came through while she was on the plane so fortunately the decision not to answer was made for her. Since she woke up she had three more missed calls and voicemails and she was unsure if she wanted to hear what they said.

Veronica called in her order from a Chinese restaurant down the street. As she was waiting for her food to be delivered her curiosity won out and she dialed her voicemail.

_Keith: Thursday 9:30am “I know it’s almost time for you to board your plane but I just wanted to tell you again that I love you. Travel safe and give me a call when you land so I know you made it back safely.”_

_Keith: Thursday 8:09pm “I saw that your flight got in okay and I guess you’re just busy trying to get settled. Call me when you’re done, I’d love to hear from you, Veronica.”_

_Keith: Thursday 10:52pm “Veronica…I know your vacation didn’t go the way you planned. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with you, kiddo, you know there’s nothing I love more. Please, don’t shut me out completely, you have to understand when it comes to Logan, I_ _−“_

Veronica deleted the message before Keith was finished talking. She was still so mad at him for the comments he made during their argument Wednesday night that she didn’t want to hear any more of his opinions on Logan. She could hear the sadness and hurt in her father’s voice but she couldn’t bring herself to talk to him right now without saying something she would most likely regret later.

_Alicia: Thursday 11:01pm “Veronica, I’m glad that you made it back to New York safely. I’ll keep an eye on your father; you both just need a little time. I promise your differences will work themselves out. If you ever want or need to talk you can call me at any time. Take care.”_

Veronica smiled after listening to Alicia’s message. She was incredibly lucky to have Alicia in her life and she knew that her father would be well cared for while she was away. Even though she wasn’t talking to Keith right now she was happy to know that Alicia would be there for him…and her. Alicia was never one to meddle and try to fix their failings, she would just stand in the middle as a neutral player and offer them each the love and support they needed.

_Wallace: Thursday 11:47pm “Veronica, I’m sorry this week was so hard on you, I wish I could have done more to help you through Tuesday. Take all the time you need, Supafly. I’ll be here for you when you’re ready.”_

_Unknown: Friday 3:24am “Ronnie! Don’t you dare delete this message…and don’t roll your eyes either, just listen. This might sound strange, but…thank you! It is about damn time, girl! And don’t worry I will fix this. Dick’s got your back! ...Uh, oh, I gotta go, Ronnie, I’ll talk to you later!”_

Veronica was confused after listing to Dick’s message. She had no idea what he was talking about. There were so many questions she now had. What was Dick thanking her for? What did he need to fix? Why was he looking out for her? And what the hell was with all the yelling and that loud thud before he scrambled off the line? She decided to just ignore it. It was Dick after all. He was probably drunk and thought it would be funny to call and mess with her. She looked back down at her phone and listened to the last two messages.

_Mac: Friday 10:06am “Bond, I know why you went back to New York. I’m not mad at you; I probably would have done the same thing. Just call me back when you can.”_

_Keith: Friday 10:28am “I don’t want it to be this way, honey. It breaks my heart to know that I upset you. I’d really like the chance to talk to you and explain, but I can’t do that until you answer my calls. I’m not giving up…I love you, Veronica.”_

Veronica exited out of her voicemail as the doorbell rang. She got up off the couch still dressed in her pajamas from the night before and went to answer the door. After paying the delivery girl for her lunch she took the food back over to the couch and flipped on the TV.

Curling up with her Chinese take out containers spread across her lap she surfed through the channels until she landed on a station playing Finding Nemo. A warm smiled spread across her face as she continued to eat her lunch recalling the memory of the only other time she had watched this movie.

* * *

 

Logan walked into Surf Bro’s just after lunchtime. After leaving Rachel’s that morning he went back home to catch a few more hours of sleep before coming into work. When he woke up he was surprised to see that the hole he made in the living room wall the night before had been patched up, as if his outburst had never happened.

He found Dick standing behind the main counter attending to a few customers buying swimsuits. Logan waited until the group of people left before making his way over to Dick. “How did your talk with Rachel go?”

Logan leaned against the counter and began fidgeting with the tubes of chapstick next to the cash register. “I broke up with her. I should never have gone out with her to begin with, it just made everything complicated and this whole thing with Veronica wouldn’t have happened. She never would have gotten hurt.”

Dick hated seeing Logan beating himself up over what had happened because none of it was his fault. He didn’t expect to see Logan today either and he was a little shocked when he first came through the door. Dick figured after Logan had gone over to Rachel’s and broke things off with her that he would be on the next flight out to New York. “So…when do you leave for New York?”

Logan looked up at his best friend to see a big grin stretching from ear to ear plastered on Dick’s face. “I don’t know, I need a little time…” The smile on Dick’s face quickly vanished and he opened his mouth to argue but Logan cut him off. “I don’t want her to see me like this.” He held up his bruised, swollen and torn apart knuckles. “Right before she left at the end of freshman year I was angry and fighting. I don’t want her to see this and think I haven’t changed, that I haven’t learned from the past. I know it’s not entirely the same thing, I didn’t punch another person, but the way I see it this is my last chance to be with her and I have to do it right.”

Dick didn’t agree with Logan one hundred percent. He was fairly confident that if Logan showed up on Veronica’s doorstep tonight she wouldn’t be focusing on his injured hand. She would be concerned, she was always more concerned when it came to Logan, it was one of the things he appreciated most about her, she looked out for Logan when no one else did.

From the brief moments he had spent with her over the past two weeks he could tell she had done some growing up. She proved it to him when she finally accepted his role in Mac’s life and that he was going to be a father. He didn’t think Logan needed to worry about her jumping to conclusions. She wasn’t that angry, vengeful teenage girl who couldn’t even trust her closest friends anymore.

Dick also knew how important this was to Logan and where his worry and fear came from. As teenagers both Logan and Veronica were like unstable explosives, the slightest movement, change in pressure or nature would set them off casting a ring of destruction around them. It was hard to build a relationship when two bombs were exploding simultaneously. Spending some time apart and entering into adulthood matured and stabilized them both, but two weeks wasn’t enough time for them to really see those changes, to not expect past results, which was why Logan was so careful with his actions now.

Back then he wasn’t thrilled about Logan dating Veronica but now he realized how much Logan needed Veronica. He wants his best friend to be happy and carefree and Veronica is the only one who can grant him those things.

Dick watched as Logan patted him on the back and then made his way into the office to work, closing the door behind him. He hoped Logan ended up on a plane to New York soon or he was going to have to gently drag his ass there for him.

* * *

 

After the movie ended Veronica got off the couch to throw away her empty take out containers. She walked over to her freezer and looked inside, frowning slightly when she remembered she hadn’t done any grocery shopping yet. She made a mental note to stock up on ice cream because she planned on having it for dinner several nights a week to help dull the pain she felt about leaving Neptune and Logan behind.

Ready to get back to her wallowing pity party for one she walked back into her living room to curl up on the couch and find another movie to watch. Just as she picked up the remote her phone began ringing and she grimaced hoping it wasn’t her dad calling again. She grabbed her phone off the coffee table and smiled when she saw the display. “I was wondering when I would be getting a call from you.”

“Veronica! You answered!”

Veronica’s smile grew at the happy greeting. “I meant what I said, Bud. You call. I answer. Every time. That was the deal.” She muted the TV and repositioned herself so her back was against the arm of the couch with a pillow resting on her lap. “Tell me something new since I left?”

“I took Henry on a bike ride this morning! We had to stay in the driveway because I’m not allowed to ride my bike in the street when I’m outside by myself, but it was still fun!”

Veronica laughed into the phone. “How did you do that?”

“Yesterday, Johnny worked on my bike all day to put a basket in the front so Henry could ride with me places. He said it was his apology for taking Henry back to the store last week. Do you want to hear a secret?”

A small smirk made its way onto Veronica’s face. “Of course, I love secrets!”

“I think Johnny is afraid of you. Whenever I say your name he looks around like you’re going to jump out and scare him. Isn’t that funny? You’re not scary. You’re the nicest person I know.” Veronica was glad that her warning to Johnny was working and that he was going easy on Tyler. She had to hold back her laughter when he claimed she was nice because that was one description about herself she had not heard in a long time. Not since her yellow cotton dress days. “Now you tell me something new.”

Veronica told Tyler about her fun-filled day of cleaning and he laughed at how uneventful it was. She mentioned that she had watched Finding Nemo without falling asleep like last time and that launched Tyler into telling her how that day was one of his favorites.

“Do you think Logan will take me surfing again this weekend?”

“I’m sure he would if you ask him to. I can give you his phone number.” Veronica was glad that Tyler was trying to stay connected with the people who were still in Neptune. She didn’t want him to sit inside and cut himself off like she was doing. It took a lot of courage to put himself out there to make new friends and he didn’t deserve to spend his childhood isolated and alone.

“Okay! I’ll call him after I get off the phone with you.”

Veronica and Tyler ended up talking for about forty-five minutes before Tyler said he had to hang up. Johnny had bought a new remote control plane after Tyler broke his other one and he was going to teach Tyler how to fly it properly this time.

“Can I call you tomorrow?”

Veronica smiled. “Yeah. You have to so you can tell me all about flying the plane! I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye, Bud.”

“Bye, Veronica!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have already started working on Chapter 15 and my goal is to have it posted by next weekend at the very latest!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you I would have this chapter up within a week so I hope a two day turn around works for you instead. 
> 
> p.s. I do not know anything about District Attorney's so just go with me on this one.

When Monday morning rolled around Veronica climbed out of bed with a little extra pep in her step that hadn’t been there all weekend. She was ready to kick the moping mood she had found herself in since she left Neptune and get back to what she was good at, which was drowning herself in case work to ignore her sorrows.

She pulled open the door to her refrigerator and grabbed all the ingredients to make an omelet. The only time she left the confines of her apartment in the last four days had been to go to the store to stock up on groceries and to run a few errands concerning Tyler.

Veronica went to work chopping up tomato, green pepper, ham, mushroom and onion before tossing it all in a skillet. She cracked open two eggs in a pan and added the mix of vegetables, tomato and ham inside the omelet and topped the dish off with shredded cheddar cheese before placing her breakfast on a plate.

Once she was finished eating she cleaned up her small kitchen and headed toward the bathroom to shower. After applying her makeup and drying her hair straight she stepped into her black boot cut dress pants, threw on a light blue sleeveless blouse tucked into her slacks with a black fitted blazer, the sleeves rolled up to elbows, and slipped on a pair of black heels.

Veronica grabbed her purse and briefcase before stepping into the hallway, closing and locking her apartment door behind her. She took the elevator down to the lobby and walked out onto the busy New York street, immediately missing the beach breeze California offered.

Around the corner from her building was a quaint café that she visited enough on her way to work that the staff had memorized her order. She popped in real quick and flashed a smile at the owner who began fixing her coffee while she paid. She smiled at him and thanked him as he handed her an extra to-go bag filled with various bakery treats, one of the perks she didn’t have in Neptune. Veronica turned around and headed back outside to walk the remaining five blocks to her office.

The front desk security guard, Hank, smiled at Veronica as she entered the office building. He was a dark skinned man with a tall frame and baldhead in his early seventies. Hank had been a security guard here ever since he retired from the New York Police Department ten years prior after his granddaughter was born. “Ms. Veronica, welcome back. How was your vacation?”

As was their morning ritual, Veronica pulled out one of the bakery treats in her bag and handed it over to Hank. “Good morning, Hank. It was…you know how seeing the family goes.” Hank chuckled and politely accepted the treat. “How’s your granddaughter doing?”

Hank’s face lit up at the mention of his family. Veronica knew how much he loved being a grandfather and tried to ask him about his granddaughter as often as she could. “She’s doing great. I took her to Central Park this weekend and we had a picnic on the lawn by the pond. She’s growing up fast, almost as tall as you now.”

“I don’t doubt it. If she’s anything like her grandpa she’s going to be as tall as a tree. You’ll have to bring her to work with you one of these days and I’ll take you both out to lunch.”

Hank smiled and nodded his head. “I’m sure she would love that. Have a nice day, Ms. Veronica.”

Veronica rode the elevator up to the fifteenth floor and greeted their office receptionist Anna when she stepped onto the floor. Anna was a five foot six redheaded graduate student who had been working there since Veronica started. Anna was smart and a little bubbly, which was the perfect contrast to the District Attorney shark atmosphere in the personal offices behind her desk. “Veronica, welcome back! Joel is in his office with a new case for you when you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Anna.”

Veronica walked down the hall entering her office. Her office was averaged sized. In the center of the room there was a large mahogany wood desk containing only a few pens, folders and legal pads for taking notes. There was no desktop computer; Veronica preferred a laptop that she could tote to and from work, allowing her to take work home with her. Behind her desk was an eight-foot office center with drawers and cabinets for filing and extra storage. Two chairs sat in front of her desk for visitors and guests or coworkers during brief meetings.

The office furniture was warm and inviting from its coloring and placement but the room was still cold. Veronica had no personal effects. There were no picture frames of loved ones on her desk, she didn’t annoyingly exploit her degrees by flaunting it on the walls and she had no knick knacks that gave visitors a glimpse into her personal likes and hobbies.

She set her bags down on one of the chairs in front of her desk and pulled out her laptop to plug in. Snatching one of the sugary treats from the café to-go bag she popped it into her mouth as she got acclimated to being back at work. Once she was done eating her snack and drained her coffee she headed in the direction of Joel’s office to check in and grab her first case of the week.

Veronica knocked on Joel’s door and he looked up from his computer and smiled. “Mars, I’m glad you’re back, come on it.” He took his reading glasses off, setting them on his desk and leaned back in his chair relaxed, like he was catching up with an old friend. “How was your trip? I hope you took it easy and actually kicked back to relax.”

Unlike Veronica’s office, Joel’s was very warm. He had pictures of all his kids and grandkids, even his dogs, in frames on his desk, back wall cabinet and surrounding walls. It was easy to tell that Joel was a family man, who even though he put in a lot of time at work, still made room in his schedule to spoil his family with love. He also loved to golf and had golf themed figures and plaques everywhere, most of them were gifts from friends and family.

Veronica moved inside Joel’s office, closing the door for privacy for when they got around to talking about cases. She took a seat in one of the tan cushioned chairs parked in front of his desk. “It was…good. I had some time to relax on the beach. I hear you have a new case for me.”

Joel had watched Veronica enter the room and took in her appearance. To a casual observer she looked fantastic, professional and eager to jump in and help. He also had a background in psychology and was able to read people very easily, which is why he was so good at his job.

When he first met Veronica during her internship in law school he thought he had her figured out. He didn’t realize until several months later that the exterior front she displayed to the world was a façade. He immediately became intrigued not only for her ability to make it intentionally harder for him to read her but also for her great potential in this field.

He took her under his wing and began teaching her everything he could, he wanted her to be the best and she had the talent to be so. It took him over a year before he saw past her exterior walls and after several years of knowing her he had learned how to read her fairly well.

The woman standing before him now was anything but relaxed. She put up a good show but he could see that she was even more troubled than before her vacation. Her eagerness to get back to work was not because she wanted to work; it was because she had to work. She had to use the work as a distraction for whatever was bothering her or she would fall apart.

He had never seen her like this before and it deeply worried him. He had to give her something to work on so instead of giving her the three cases he put aside for her he pulled just one of them out of his filing cabinet and handed it over to her. He knew her coping mechanism was to bury herself in work but he wasn’t going to allow her to do that just yet. “This is the only case I have for you right now. Once you read over the details you’ll find that it’s similar to the McKinderson case I had you shadow a few months back. I want you to focus on only this case for now because this time you will be the lead District Attorney in charge. Let me know if you have any questions along the way. It’s cut and dry so you’ll probably have it finished up by next week.”

Veronica stood up and left Joel’s office, excited to be given the opportunity to run point on another case. This was the beginning of the distraction she needed. She was a little disappointed to have been given only one case when she knew she could handle more but she would deal with that later. She closed the door to her office and immediately got to work.

* * *

 

Wednesday evening Veronica was sitting in her office packing up her case notes and laptop to take home with her. She planned on putting in a few more hours of work at home to get further ahead in the case so Joel would give her more to work on.

Once she got to her apartment she put her briefcase on the kitchen island and booted up her laptop. She placed her phone next to the computer and turned the volume all the way up so if it rang while she was changing out of her work clothes she would hear it.

She was expecting a call from Tyler. They had made an agreement that he would call her everyday sometime between 5pm and 8pm California time. It was easier this way. She didn’t have to worry about missing his call at work and having a set schedule gave her something to look forward to each night.

Veronica had been working for a few hours when her laptop dinged with an incoming Skype call, which was odd because she hadn’t used it in years, only to talk to Mac and Wallace when she first moved out to New York. The call coming in was from the username TurtleTy and Veronica smiled as she hit accept. It took a minute for the video call to sync and once it did she could see Tyler sitting in his room smiling back at her. “Hey, Bud! This is a nice surprise! How did you set this up?”

Tyler flashed a huge grin from getting to see his best friend again. “I didn’t. Dick and Mac did!”

“They did?”

“Yeah. Yesterday, I told you that I went surfing with Dick and Logan, right?”

Veronica remembered. Her call with Tyler had been very brief, less than five minutes long, when he was taking a quick break. “Yes, I remember.”

Tyler smiled and his eyes grew softer. “Dick picked me up yesterday to take me to the beach because Logan was having computer problems and had to call Mac, your friend, she’s really cool too.” Tyler started laughing as he remembered something from yesterday. “Dick fastened my booster seat in on the first try without me having to help him.”

Veronica rolled her eyes making Tyler laugh even harder. She was proud of Dick though, he was really stepping up and she knew his baby and Mac would be well loved, she didn’t have to worry about him being a father anymore. “It doesn’t count, he’s been reading books about kids. I went in blind having no advantage.”

“If you say so.” Tyler giggled for a few more seconds before pulling himself together to finish his story. “Anyway, Dick was asking me how I was doing since you left. I told him that I missed you and that we try to talk to each other every day but it’s not the same as hanging out with you. He just said he would fix it and I didn’t know what he was talking about.”

Veronica was smiling. She was going to have to reconsider expanding Dick’s hug quota and maybe grant him a few more the next time she saw him. “He had Mac give you my Skype name.”

Tyler shook his head. “Sort of. But this morning Dick and Mac came to my house and they brought me a computer. I’ve never had my own before! Mac helped me make an account on here and showed me how to use it so I could see you again. You have the coolest friends!”

“Yeah, I do.” Now that his story had finished she finally focused on the things in his room. His bed was made up in a themed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle comforter set with the stuffed animals she and Logan had won for him sitting on top. She saw Henry in his cage in the corner of his room bathing on a rock under a lamp. Finally she noticed Tyler’s shirt and smiled. “You got the package I sent you!”

“Yeah, it came this morning! Thank you, Veronica!” He pulled the bottom of his shirt away from his body so she could see it better. It was a white t-shirt that said ‘I love NY’, the classic tourist souvenir. She had also included a few other classics in the package such as a Statue of Liberty foam crown, a New York Yankees baseball cap, a yellow New York City Taxi toy car, a replica city skyline inside a snow globe and a postcard with a little message written on it from her.

“You’re welcome, Bud.” Veronica smiled and listened as he walked around his room pointing to every spot he had placed his new mementos.

They talked for another half hour before Tyler turned his head toward his bedroom door to listen to someone else talking. He turned back to Veronica with a sad smile. “I have to go, Veronica. We are going out to dinner with my cousins tonight.”

Veronica gave him a big smile to try to boost his spirits. “It’s okay. We will talk tomorrow. Have a nice time with your family and order a big dessert for me, okay?”

Tyler laughed and nodded his head. “I will. Bye, Veronica, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Bud.”

Veronica didn’t feel like working anymore tonight. She shut her laptop down and put all her case notes back into her briefcase. It was already after ten-thirty in New York and she just decided to call it a night and get ready for bed early.

After climbing into bed she set her alarm to get up tomorrow and then sent off two text messages.

_Veronica to Mac 11:01pm Thank you for what you did for Tyler. I owe you._

_Veronica to Dick 11:02pm Thank you. Your hug quota has been lifted. For now._

She set her phone down on the nightstand and turned off the light. She fell asleep with a smile on her face and a small feeling of happiness that her friends were looking out for Tyler. She wished she could be there to make those memories with all of them but for right now it was enough to know that he was doing just fine.

* * *

 

All day Saturday Veronica had been working on various cases she had been given throughout the week. At first Joel had been hesitant to give her numerous cases at once and she didn’t understand. She had handled this amount in the past with ease she thought.

It had taken some groveling but he finally relented into giving her more work. The cases were not difficult, pretty much open and closed once they go to trial. They did however require a thorough inspection of all evidence gathered to eliminate any loopholes the team of opposing lawyers could use to keep their client from a life of community soap. Which meant Veronica was elbow deep in paperwork combing through the finer details and closing the gaps.

After several hours without a break Veronica was beginning to experience a crick in her neck from leaning over her laptop. Her vision was blurring from staring at printed documents for hours on end and she felt nauseous from not having had dinner yet.

She decided to take a break and call in a pickup order from a bar and grill down the block from her apartment. She often called in orders there when she needed a pick me up because the barbequed chicken wings they had were out of this world.

Clad in a pair of jeans and a grey Columbia t-shirt, Veronica tied her hair back into a messy and loose ponytail and threw on a maroon colored zip-up hoodie with a pair of black Converse tennis shoes. She grabbed her phone, keys and enough cash to pay for her food and left her apartment to walk to the bar and grill.

Shay’s Bar & Grill was more bar than restaurant. The music was loud and the food and drinks were reasonably priced, which drew in a younger crowd looking for fun in the city on a Saturday night.

Veronica walked up to the bar and spoke with one of the bartenders on staff. “Carry out order for Mars.”

“It will be a few more minutes yet but I’ll go check on your order and bring it out to you when it’s done. Here, this one’s on the house.” He handed Veronica a complementary bottle of water and headed back to the kitchen to check on and grab her food.

A guy in his mid twenties with dark brown hair, brown eyes, pale white skin, muscular frame and standing around five foot ten took a seat next to Veronica at the bar. He looked her over and smiled showing her his perfect cosmetically corrected white teeth. “Can I buy you a drink?”

Veronica turned to look at him and gave him a small appreciative smile back. “No, thank you.”

He smirked at her, excitement building at the challenge she presented for him. “Is this your first time here? I come here quite a bit and I’ve never seen you here before and I would definitely remember seeing you.”

Veronica smirked and turned her head back to watch the bartenders mixing drinks. “Sorry, I’m not interested.”

He turned his head to look at the people standing around them checking to see if any of them were with her. “Do you have a boyfriend or something?”

Still watching the bartenders work she took a drink from her capped water and responded. “No, I’m just really not interested.”

“How do you know you’re not interested if you haven’t even given me a chance yet? We could be soul mates.”

Veronica turned in her bar stool to face the brown haired, brown-eyed guy next to her. “Okay, fine.” She saw his face light up at being given a chance. Her face remained blank until she bit her bottom lip in thought. “Do you work in or own a surf shop?”

He smiled in amusement at her odd questioning. “No.”

Veronica scrunched her lips together and snapped her fingers together in disappointment. “Strike one. Have you ever worn a puka shell necklace?”

His eyebrows raised and he nearly spit out the sip of his drink he just took. “Seriously? Who would wear one of those? Definitely not.”

She gave him a tight-lipped smile and shook her head. “Strike two. What’s your name?”

He relaxed a little as the questioning eased up into a normal conversation. “Derek.”

Veronica smirked and snapped her fingers again. “Damn, strike three. You’re out. I guess we just weren’t meant to be.” She turned back to the bar to accept her food from the bartender and handed him the money. As she got up and began walking to the door she heard Derek mumble ‘bitch’ under his breath and she smiled as she left the bar.

* * *

The following Monday Joel had been watching Veronica closely. She had been an unstoppable force over the past week since her return from vacation. She was working efficiently, making a lot of headway on the cases that he had given her. He knew most of the work had been taken home, turning a standard eight-hour workday into twelve or more.

He wasn’t worried about her quality of work; she always went above and beyond. He was worried about the quantity. She had come to him this morning and asked for more cases but he refused her request. He didn’t want her to over do it and push herself into exhaustion.

Joel had tried to get her to open up to him, he asked more about her vacation. If he had to explain her new emotional and behavioral front he would attribute it to something that happened over those two weeks she was off.

So he decided to watch her and let her work the cases she had already been working on, no new cases. Next week he would sit her down and voice his concerns. He didn’t think New York was where she wanted to be anymore.

* * *

Wednesday mid-afternoon, Veronica was sitting in a meeting with Joel, two other lawyers, two interns and an undergraduate student doing some career shadowing. This was the only case left that she had been assigned to last week, all her other cases were closed.

It was an informal meeting to make it easier for them all to communicate and contribute to the case by being in the same room. Each person, or each person with an actual law degree, had a different part of the case to work on. It was just like a high school group project only the stakes were real and everyone actually did the work they were assigned.

Veronica was reading through a report when the sound of her phone buzzing on the table next to her broke her concentration. She looked over and saw Tyler’s name pop up on her screen and bit her lip as she stared down at the phone.

He never called her during the day when she was at work but she couldn’t ignore it, she had made a promise to him that she intended to keep. She looked up and caught Joel’s eye giving him a hesitant look. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.” Joel nodded his head telling her it was fine and she picked up her phone to take into the hallway. “Hey, Bud. Can I call you back I’m−“ She heard some sniffling on the other end of the line, which put her on high alert. “Hey, Tyler, what’s wrong? Why are you crying, Bud?”

“Veronica…” It took several minutes for his crying to subside before he could tell her what was wrong. “I think…I think I’m broken, just like you.”

Veronica closed the door to her office and sat down in her chair as the tears welled up in her eyes from his heartbroken voice. “No, Tyler. You are not broken. Do you hear me? Who said that to you?”

“The other kids on the street. They said…they said…”

She could hear he was quickly getting worked up again and his breathing was erratic in between each sob. “Hey, Bud, take a deep breath and blow it out. I need you to try and calm yourself down before you make yourself sick. Shh…I’m right here. We will just sit here together for as long as you need, okay?” Veronica wiped the tears off her cheeks.

“Okay.” Ten minutes later he was down to little sniffles again and ready to talk. “Veronica, are you still there?”

Veronica smiled. “I’m still here, Bud.”

“I was outside playing with that taxi car you sent me. I used chalk to draw a town on the sidewalk and I was driving the taxi car around. The other kids on the street won’t play with me so I always have to play by myself. They usually ignore me but today they came over and I thought they wanted to play but they didn’t.”

Veronica heard a few more sniffles and waited for him to continue. “They started calling me names and making fun of my clothes. I tried to ignore them and go back inside but they are bigger than me and pushed me down on the sidewalk.”

Veronica was seething but kept her voice calm so Tyler wouldn’t think she was mad at him. “Did they hurt you? Are you okay?”

“I scraped my knees but I’m okay. Johnny cleaned the cuts and put some Band-Aids on them and then he went out to yell at the kids who knocked me down.”

Veronica rubbed a hand over her face, glad that he wasn’t too badly injured. “Did they do anything or say anything else to you, Bud?”

He sniffled again but kept it under control this time. “They said that I was a freak because I always play with a turtle. And that the only reason you, Logan, Dick and Mac spend time with me is because you feel sorry for me. That I don’t have any friends my own age because there is something wrong with me, I’m not good enough to play with the other kids. They told me not to bother playing outside anymore because they didn’t want to see me. Then they took the car you gave me and smashed it in the street.”

Tyler started crying again and tears streaked down Veronica’s cheeks. “Tyler, I don’t want you to listen to what those other kids said. Logan, Dick, Mac and I want to hangout with you because you are a very special kid; you’ve changed all our lives for the better. You said yourself that I have the coolest friends and that includes you too. Do you want to know what I think?”

“Uh huh.”

“I think those other boys pick on you because they are jealous of you. You are so kind, caring and loving. You asked me to be your friend and it took a lot of courage. I’m so glad you did too because I would not have been able to survive these last few weeks without you. If those other kids don’t want to be your friend then that’s their loss. You are more than enough, you’re my best friend, Bud.”

“You’re my best friend too, Veronica.”

Veronica could hear the smile in his voice through his happy sniffles. She smiled as well and wiped the remaining tears from her face. She knew exactly how he felt. “Don’t worry about the taxi car either, I’ll send you another one, okay?”

“I know. It just made me sad because it was special, you gave it to me as a gift.”

Veronica looked at her watch and knew she had to get back to work. Joel had already looked concerned before she answered the phone and she couldn’t imagine how he would look at her now that she had been gone for thirty minutes. “I’m really sorry, Bud, but I have to get back to work. Are you going to be okay now? I can stay and talk to you some more if you still need me.”

“No, I’m okay. I feel better now. I’ll be okay, Veronica. I’m sorry I called you during the day.”

Veronica’s heart melted and she had a weak smile on her face. “You don’t need to apologize. I’m glad you called me. How about you Skype me tonight during our regular time so I know you’re still doing okay. And I want you to tell your mom and dad about those other kids even if Johnny already handled them.”

“I will. I promise. Thank you for listening, Veronica. I’ll call you tonight.”

“Bye, Tyler.”

Veronica ended the call with Tyler and walked down the hall back to the conference room.

Joel had heard the beginning of Veronica’s conversation when she first answered the phone before the door closed behind her. Her voice was soft, the tone one used when talking to a child. As far as he knew she didn’t have any kids and he was curious to know why she was talking to one now.

When she came back in the room he saw that her eyes were red and slightly puffy. She had been crying. He gave her a sympathetic smile and leaned over so the others in the room couldn’t hear him. “Are you okay?”

Her mask fell back in place and she nodded her head with a tight smile. “Yeah. I’m fine. What did I miss?”

Joel caught her up on all that was discussed in her absence. The group spent a little bit longer in the conference room before breaking off and heading back to their offices to work.

* * *

 

Veronica was eating lunch at her desk on Friday, a sub sandwich from a deli down the street. She threw all her trash into the garbage can under her desk and turned back to her laptop trying to catch up on all her emails.

She was about halfway through the task when her office phone rang. Responding automatically, she picked up the phone and tucked it between her ear and her shoulder as she kept her focus on the email in front of her. “Mars.”

“Veronica, it’s Anna. I received a call from Hank down at the front desk that you have a visitor.”

Still concentrating on her laptop she mindlessly answered Anna. “I don’t have any appointments scheduled. Did he say who it was?”

“Yeah, an older gentleman who says his name is Keith Mars.”

Veronica’s head snapped up and she smacked her palm to her forehead. She hadn’t talked to her dad since she left Neptune two weeks ago. He continued to call and leave her voicemails every day. She figured he was mad that she wasn’t answering any of his calls but she really didn’t think he would be mad enough to hop on a plane to confront her. Although he did say he wasn’t going to give up and now she had no choice but to talk to him.

Anna’s bubbly voice pulled her out of her own head. “Do you want me to tell Hank to send him up or would you like to go down to meet him?”

“Just have Hank send him up and if you could point him in the direction of my office. Thanks, Anna.”

Veronica hung up the phone and placed her head in her hands on top of her desk trying to take a few deep breaths. A few minutes later there was a knock on her door and the door slowly opened before she could call out to invite him in. She lifted her head out of her hands that were covering her face and froze when she met the eyes staring back at her. “Logan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will not be updated as quickly as this one was. I'm sorry!


	16. Chapter 16

“Logan…what are you doing here?” Veronica was still shocked to see him standing in front of her.

Logan felt confident in the elevator and even as he walked down the hallway to Veronica’s office, but now that he was looking right at her he began to feel a little nervous. This moment would either be the start of his future or the end to everything he wanted. He needed to stall her for a few minutes to regain his confidence before he got to the why he was here part of their conversation. “I wanted to surprise you.”

Veronica couldn’t control the small smile that broke out across her face. “I am surprised. I was not expecting to see you again so soon after I left. I’m also surprised they let you up here using my dad’s name. You’ve got way too much hair on your head to be convincing.”

Logan laughed and took a few steps forward putting him a foot in front of Veronica’s desk. “I had Hank help me out.” His expression turned sad and his voice grew softer as he looked at Veronica apologetically. “I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me after…”

Veronica stood up and moved around to the front of her desk where she sat on the edge in front of Logan. She nodded her head, understanding the words he didn’t say. Veronica looked up at Logan with a small smile. “You could have given them your name. I wouldn’t have turned you away, Logan. Actually, had I known you were here I would have been more polite and gone down to meet you in the lobby.”

Logan shot her a disbelieving look. “I’m not buying it. You would greet me at the door with open arms and a warm smile but make your dad do the lonely perp walk up to your office?”

She smiled at his teasing tone for a few seconds before the smile fell from her face. She kept her gaze down staring at her legs crossed at her ankles as she was leaning against her desk. “I’m pretty mad at my dad right now. We got into an argument the night before I left and I haven’t spoken to him since.” Veronica didn’t want to get into the topic of the argument so she looked up at Logan with a smile. “So back to my first question you so cleverly evaded. What are you doing here?”

Logan smirked at knowing he should have known better than to pull a fast one on Veronica. “You didn’t say goodbye.”

Veronica looked at Logan with sad eyes. She had felt bad about leaving him again without a word. She pushed off the desk so she was standing up in front of him. “I’m sorry…”

He saw the guilt in her eyes and knew leaving him behind was not what she wanted. He pulled her into a hug, his arms wrapping tightly around her back while her head rested against his chest and her arms circled his waist. He laid his cheek on the top of her head. “Stop. You don’t have to apologize. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you. Rachel should never have said anything to you and I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”

“Are you and Rachel still…”

“No. I broke up with her the day after you left. I can’t forgive her for what she did to you. I should never have entered into a relationship with her in the first place, none of this would have happened to you.”

Veronica kept her arms around Logan’s waist but lifted her head off of his chest so that she could look him in the eyes. “Why did you? You dated her for two years, that’s not just a casual fling. You must have seen something more in her.”

Logan ran his thumb over the horizontal creases on Veronica’s forehead trying to smooth over her worry before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t love her. She was just a placeholder. She made my life a little less lonely without you around. I also didn’t come here to get a proper goodbye from you if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Veronica’s breath hitched in her throat from his tone and touch as he moved a fraction of an inch closer. “You didn’t?”

A slow smile crossed Logan’s face and he leaned down to place a soft kiss on her forehead. “Another goodbye won’t be necessary because I don’t plan on letting you go again. I love you, Veronica. I always have. You’ve had my heart since our first kiss at the Camelot. You make me so incredibly happy and I can’t picture a future with anyone else. I only want you. I love you.”

Veronica intertwined her fingers with Logan’s and pushed back the tears threatening to spill over. She didn’t want to cry, she just wanted to enjoy this moment. She looked up at Logan who was studying her so intently, looking for a reaction written across her face at his confession. She smiled and gently squeezed his hands. “I love you, too.” Relief washed over her as she finally found the courage to tell him how she truly felt.

Logan’s heart was racing at her declaration. She had never once told him she loved him. Love for her was pouring out of him as he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her flush against him. His lips crashed against hers and his arms circled around her back hugging her closer. Veronica’s hands drifted up his chest and over his broad shoulders before reaching their destination and running through his hair as she poured everything she felt into the kiss.

He ran his tongue over her bottom lip seeking permission to enter and she quickly responded by opening her mouth wider. Logan slipped his tongue inside, exploring and tasting her for the first time in nine years. His longing and desire to have more of her was stronger than ever before. His hands moved to the base of her head as his fingers tangled in her hair. He trailed hot kisses along her jaw to her neck and stopped at the juncture where her shoulder met her neck.

Veronica quietly moaned when his mouth found the sensitive spot on her neck. She let him place several wet kisses there until she felt her knees weaken and pulled his mouth back up to hers.

A few moments later someone standing in her office doorway cleared their throat to get Veronica’s attention. She broke out of the kiss and rested her forehead on Logan’s chest to catch her breath. She peaked her head around Logan’s body, which was turned away from the door that they unfortunately left wide open, and tried to hide her embarrassment at getting caught in a heated make out session at work.

She side stepped around Logan and took a few steps away from him. “Logan, this is Joel, my boss. Joel, this is Logan, my…” Veronica didn’t know how to finish her sentence because she didn’t really know where her and Logan stood at the moment. Calling him her friend didn’t seem appropriate after being caught with his tongue halfway down her throat.

“Boyfriend.” Logan held out his hand for Joel to shake, giving him the charming Echolls smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Joel looked between the two of them in amusement. Logan was looking at Veronica with a smug smirk on his face for taking advantage of her hesitation during the introductions to supply the title he wanted. He looked over at Veronica who was glowing and smiling, love radiating off of her every time she looked at Logan. He had never seen this look on her face before and he realized that Logan’s absence was the void in her life that he always saw. Logan was the missing piece to her happiness. “I didn’t know Veronica was seeing anyone. How long have you two been together?”

Logan flashed Joel and innocent smile and looked down at his watch. “About twenty minutes.”

Joel laughed at Logan’s antics and Veronica rolled her eyes. “I think I need to clarify. Logan isn’t some random guy I picked up during my lunch break; I’ve known him since I was twelve. We grew up together in Neptune and dated in high school and college.”

“It’s easy to see you two have known each other for quite some time. Don’t let her go, Logan.”

Logan locked eyes with Veronica. “I don’t plan on it.”

Joel smiled at them and held his hand out to Logan. “It was a pleasure meeting you, however I have a conference call I need to prepare for.” He turned back to the door and paused. “Veronica, take the rest of the day off and get out of here. Go enjoy your weekend, you’ve earned it, kid.”

Joel walked back to his office and smiled. He knew his days as Veronica’s boss were numbered and he had a feeling she would be gone by the end of the month. He was a little sad to be losing the best ADA he’s ever had but knew that Veronica’s happiness was more important and the way she was looking at Logan spoke volumes. Logan was her future not New York.

* * *

 

The walk to Veronica’s apartment was excruciating. The exploding passion they had built up before Joel had interrupted them was still present and waiting to be released once again. Veronica knew what would happen once they got inside and the anticipation of being with Logan again sent electrifying jolts up her spine as her stomach filled with butterflies.

Logan was holding her hand as they maneuvered through the crowded sidewalk. They were walking slowly behind a large group of people and Logan was rubbing small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. His gentle touch was driving her crazy and it took all the self-control she had not to stop in the middle of the walkway and kiss him until she forgot her own name. His small smirk said he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

Ten minutes later Veronica and Logan were stepping off the elevator on the fifth floor of her apartment building. She pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, moving ahead of Logan so she could welcome him inside. Veronica took a deep breath and closed the door after Logan entered.

When she turned back around to face him, Logan dropped his duffle bag that was hanging off his shoulder and took quick steps to close the gap between them. His hands grabbed onto the sides of her head as he gently pinned her up against the front door with his body. Veronica dropped her purse to the ground, grateful that she did not bring her briefcase with her work laptop home today. Her hands snaked around the back of his neck and hungrily pulled his mouth down to hers.

Logan moved away from her mouth and explored further down her neck. This time Veronica didn’t bring Logan’s lips back up to hers, instead she ran her fingers through his hair and held his head against the sensitive spot on her neck. Logan took the hint and ran his tongue around the point before kissing her and sucking on her pulse.

Veronica moaned out at the pleasure his touch sent through her body and she arched up into him, but it wasn’t enough. She needed more contact from him and knew he would too. Her hands grasped the bottom edge of his grey tight fitted tee shirt and slowly raised it higher. Logan stopped kissing her neck and took a tiny step back to allow her to lift the shirt up his chest and over his head. Veronica let the shirt fall to the floor and took in the sight in front of her.

A soft slow smile appeared on Veronica’s face as she admired Logan’s bare torso, a look that communicated clearly how turned on she was. She had seen Logan shirtless when he surprised her on the beach and again during Tyler’s surf lesson but she was still blown away. Seeing him partially exposed sent a new wave of heat through her body knowing she could touch him as more than a friend now.

Logan let out a shaky breath as her cold fingers grazed his skin. She started slowly at the V of his hips, just above the top of his jeans, tracing every groove defined by his abs and memorizing all the contours of his body. She smiled when she felt his muscles contract under her touch.

Logan was watching her every move under lust filled eyes. He was breathing deeply trying to resist the urge to reach out and touch her. Letting her explore his body at her own pace, he knew he would have his turn after she was done.

Veronica’s hands made their way to Logan’s chiseled pecks and she ghosted her fingers lightly over his nipples. He let out a groan and she smiled. She knew how much her touch was affecting him and thought he had endured enough so she moved her hands to his head and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Logan wasted no time; his hands immediately went to the buttons on her coral colored sleeveless blouse. He started at the top by her collarbone and slowly worked his way down, leaving kisses on her skin along the way. Veronica’s breath quickened the lower Logan went until her shirt was completely off and lying on the floor. Logan stood in front of her for a moment enjoying the view. His fingers trailed along her clavicle and along the top swell of her breasts above the edge of her black bra.

He wasn’t as cruel as she was in his exploration. There would be plenty of time to have her begging for more later. Right now he just needed to be with her, it had been too long. Logan undid the button and zipper on her grey dress slacks and slid them to her feet. She kicked off her heels and stepped out of her pants, leaving her standing by the front door in a matching black bra and underwear set, four inches shorter than before.

Veronica moved to undo and remove Logan’s jeans. He kicked them off and stood there in grey boxer briefs smirking down at her. Veronica smiled and raised an eyebrow in question. “What?”

He gave her a small cheeky smile that always made her heart skip a beat. “You’re so short.”

She gave him a challenging smirk back. “Are you going to do something about that?”

Logan smiled wider and laughed. He bent down to pull her into a heated kiss as his hands moved down her backside over her ass and gripped the back of her thighs. She smiled against his mouth and jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist and her arms circled his neck to keep from falling. They finally stepped away from the foyer and Logan carried her down the micro hallway leading back to the bedroom.

* * *

 

A few hours later Veronica woke up feeling blissfully relaxed and unimaginably happy for the first time in nine years. Logan was tightly coiled around her from behind still asleep. When she woke up this morning she never imagined that by dinner time she would be basking in the after effects of being held by Logan, telling him how much she loved him and that the dream she had nearly a month ago was no longer a dream. Logan was hers and she was never letting go.

Veronica tried to carefully turn in Logan’s arms without waking him but it didn’t work. He started to stir as soon as she moved and when her movement stopped and she was facing him he pulled her closer and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Veronica’s eyes were sparkling as she drank him in. She missed the way his hair ended up pointing in every direction after he slept and the way his body molded around hers no matter what position they were in. “I can’t believe you’re actually here, this feels so surreal. I didn’t expect you to show up here in New York after I left you behind again. I am really sorry.”

Logan rolled onto his back bringing Veronica with him. She was tucked into his side with her head on his chest and her fingers drew abstract shapes along his body. “Don’t be. You leaving was not your fault. I would have been here two weeks ago but I did something stupid in the heat of the moment after finding out about Rachel’s ambush and I couldn’t face you.”

Veronica didn’t move, she just kept gliding her fingers over his chest. She couldn’t stop touching him, afraid that if she did he would slip out from under her just like in her nightmares. “What happened?”

“I punched a hole through my living room wall.”

Veronica snorted and grabbed Logan’s right hand to inspect it for injuries. All she could see were tiny closed scrapes that resembled paper cuts. She brought his hand up to her mouth and kissed the remaining evidence of his outburst before laying his hand back down on the bed where she continued to run her thumb over his knuckles. “Why couldn’t you face me?”

Logan blew out a deep breath and made figure eights on Veronica’s bare back where the bed sheet had left her exposed. “I asked Mac to tell me exactly what Rachel said to you and I couldn’t believe that she had stooped so low to bring up and throw your most painful memories in your face. I was so angry and trying to keep my cool but when Mac told me how Rachel used Lilly I lost it. I didn’t even think about it, I just threw all my anger into the wall. My hand was a mess and I was afraid that if I showed up on your doorstep like that you would think I hadn’t changed in the past nine years. I didn’t want you to think that my anger was still explosive. That was the first punch I’ve thrown since college.”

Veronica moved so that she was resting on her elbow and could look Logan in the eyes. “Logan, I know in the past I came down on you hard for fighting but it wasn’t because I was fearful or disappointed in you. I might have told you I was but I was really just afraid of how you made me feel, how much you made me feel. It took me a while to realize that you were acting out of love and not revenge or impulse. I know you’ve changed, I saw it the moment we locked eyes on the plane, your overall energy was calmer. I love who you are now and who you used to be.”

Logan smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Really? You love jackass Logan?”

“He is not my favorite version of you, but yes, I love jackass Logan, too.” Logan sat up to meet her in a kiss. When the kiss broke they resumed their previous positions, Veronica’s head was resting on his chest, her hand draped over his abs.

Logan closed his eyes for a few minutes to enjoy how perfect this moment was. All he had dreamed about for the past nine years had been another chance to hold her in his arms again. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.”

Logan’s fingers were playing with strands of Veronica’s hair. “In your letter you wrote that you leaving had nothing to do with your dad or work, that there was something else…what did Rachel say that was so painful?”

“She took away my last shred of hope by saying that she was yours and she wasn’t going to push you away like I had. Seeing the two of you together hurt me so much because I love you and wanted to build a future with you. I couldn’t stay in Neptune and watch Rachel soak up everything I wanted…so I left.”

Logan pulled her in closer. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore. You’re mine now and you’re stuck with me forever.” Veronica smiled and placed a kiss on his chest and interlocked their fingers. “I will have to go back to Neptune for a few days to pack up my stuff and have it shipped here though. I’ll make the calls on Monday.”

Veronica shook her head against his chest. “No.”

“No? Veronica, I just got you back after spending nine years apart. I’m not having a long distance relationship with you.”

“I know. I don’t want to do long distance either, which is why I’m moving back to Neptune.”

Logan was shocked, he didn’t expect her to drop everything and move back home. He was also amazed that she would do this for him. For them. Although, he was a little worried she would regret leaving New York down the road. “What about your job? You love working here.”

Veronica removed herself from Logan’s side and sat up against the wall where a headboard would be so she could see Logan during this conversation. He followed her lead and sat up as well. She wrapped the bed sheet around her chest and laid her hands in her lap. “I like my job and that’s mainly because of Joel, but I don’t like it enough to stay here. I want to be in California. I miss Mac and Wallace and even Dick a little bit. Your shop is there and I would never ask you to give that up, you put so much time and effort into building it from the ground up and I know you love that place. I also want to be there for Tyler and I can’t do that if I stay here in New York.”

“You forgot your dad. I know you’re mad at him right now, but I know you. You miss spending time with him. Whatever you two are arguing about will fix itself once you’re back home. He loves you more than anything.”

Veronica let out a deep breath. “I know he does, but we are far from resolving our problems. The fight we had before I left was about you.”

Logan tensed up beside Veronica. She noticed and grabbed his hand for comfort. “Your dad didn’t give us his blessing did he?”

“No, but I told him if I ever got the chance to be with you again that I’d pick you over my job and everything else. You make me happy, Logan, and that’s something I haven’t felt in a long time. He won’t be thrilled that I’m moving home but he has to realize I’m an adult and I make my own choices. Don’t worry though, I’ll handle him.”

Not having Keith’s approval stung a little, knowing Keith didn’t see Logan as someone who was good enough for his daughter. Veronica sticking up for him and going against her father’s wishes warmed his heart. Keith was Veronica’s world and choosing him over her dad told him how much she loved him. He would work hard to earn Keith’s trust because he did not want to be a reason to keep them apart. “What are you going to do for work? I would love to be your sugar daddy, but I have more faith in the Padres making it to the World Series than you accepting a life of leisure.”

Veronica laughed at how accurate his assessment was. Sitting still all day doing nothing but going to the spa and shopping would drive her insane. She needed to stay busy it was just who she was. “Well, I’ve thought a lot about this in case I ever moved back to Neptune. Although now I would have to give up having a job as an ADA or DA for a while.”

“Why would you not be able to continue doing what you’re doing in Neptune? There are criminals waiting to be locked up everywhere.”

“True, but Neptune employs District Attorney’s through an election process, voted on by the people who reside in Balboa County. Elections took place last month and they won’t happen again for four more years.”

Logan thought about this dilemma for a moment trying to figure out a way to save her from giving up something she worked hard to achieve. He came up with nothing. “What are you going to do until the next election?”

Veronica moved closer to Logan and laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m not sure I want to be a lawyer anymore. Even before I took my vacation I was running out of steam. None of the cases excited me but I took on more trying to convince myself it’s what I wanted. I think I only stuck with it for this long because Joel was such a great mentor. It’s too confined and I hate playing by the rules.”

Logan laughed at her statement. She was never a rule follower and he could see how much her personality took a hit by not being allowed to do things the way she wanted to do them.

Veronica grabbed a hold of Logan’s hand and nervously began playing with his fingers. “What do you think about me being a private investigator again and working with my dad?”

“Honestly? It worries me that you will be in the line of fire again but I know how much you love investigating. As long as you promise to be careful I’ll support you if this is what you really want to do. I’m not nineteen anymore. I know investigating isn’t a hobby, it’s who you are and I wouldn’t dare try to take that away from you.”

“Really?”

Logan grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead before resting his head against hers. “Really. I love you, Veronica. All of you.” He brought his lips down to kiss her deeply.

She broke out of the kiss and leaned back with her hands on his shoulders giving him a complete view of her naked front side. “Good…because my dad is going to kill me when I tell him my plan.” She slid off his lap and climbed off the bed.

Logan quickly grabbed her hand before she could get too far. “Where are you going? I thought you were ready for round three.”

She smiled at him as she removed her hand from his. “I will be after we eat. If you want me to go all night I need to be properly fed. I was thinking I could call in a pizza so we can eat in bed.” She leaned down and kissed him, then made her way to the entry way where she dropped her purse, putting a little extra sway in her hips as she walked away from him.

After placing their order Veronica walked back into the bedroom wearing Logan’s grey tee shirt. His eyes slowly tracked up her body and his mouth formed a little pout. “Why did you get dressed? I have lots of plans for us tonight and none of them involve clothing.”

Veronica smiled at what she had to look forward to later. “I have to answer the door when the pizza arrives.”

“Like hell you are. You are not answering the door wearing just my shirt and nothing underneath.” He waved his hand over her body head to toe. “This view is for my eyes only.”

“The tee shirt covers all my feminine parts, the delivery guy won’t see a thing.”

Logan smirked and jumped off the bed wrapping his hands around her waist. “You’re right he won’t…because I will be the one answering the door.”

The buzzer to the apartment rang out and Veronica followed Logan out of the bedroom to grab drinks while he grabbed the food. “If the delivery guys can’t look at me then I don’t want them looking at you. At least put your jeans back on. You can strip down after he’s gone.” A big smile made its way onto her face as she thought of a new idea. “Oh, it can be like dinner and a show!” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Logan laughed, willing to give her everything she wanted.

* * *

 

Veronica and Logan were sitting in her bed eating pizza, Logan was just in his boxer briefs and Veronica was still wearing his tee shirt, when her personal laptop sitting in the kitchen dinged with an incoming Skype call. She quickly jumped off the bed and ran into the kitchen to grab the computer. Along the way she opened Logan’s bag and pulled out the first tee shirt she saw before walking back to the bedroom. She threw the shirt at Logan and climbed back in bed making sure the sheets covered her bottom half. “You need to put that shirt on, we’ve got company.”

Logan gave her a confused look. “Who’s Skyping you? Please, tell me it’s not your dad.”

“You’ll see, just wait.” She hit accept on the call and turned the laptop so that she was the only one Tyler could see for right now. “Hey, Bud!”

“Veronica! Did you get that picture I drew for you?”

She smiled and nodded her head. “I did. It was in my mailbox this morning. You did a great job on drawing those turtles. I was going to hang it on my fridge when I got home but I haven’t had the chance yet. I’ve been very busy, an unexpected guest stopped by to see me today.”

“Who was it?”

“You can see for yourself.” Veronica turned the laptop and moved closer to Logan so they were touching shoulder to shoulder and both seen on screen.

“Logan! What are you doing in New York?”

He smiled at how shocked and excited Tyler was to see him. “I’m bringing Veronica back home where she belongs.”

“You’re coming back to Neptune! For good?”

Veronica laughed and smiled at how happy Tyler was. “Yeah, Bud, for good. It will probably still take a few weeks before I’m officially back in Neptune. I have to pack up my apartment and get everything back home.”

“That’s okay! You’re coming back, that’s all that matters! I can’t wait to see you!”

They both talked to Tyler for another forty minutes. He excitedly told them all the things they could do together once Veronica was back in Neptune and how cool it was that his two best friends were dating each other. Logan told Tyler that Veronica was going to live with him at the beach house. Even though he wouldn’t be able to walk there he was thrilled that when he did visit he could see them both at the same time.

After the Skype call with Tyler ended, Logan set Veronica’s laptop on the floor and pulled her close. He tore off his tee shirt she was wearing and started working on the no clothing required plans he had.

* * *

 

Monday morning Logan slowly extracted himself from Veronica’s bed. He knew if he was careful he wouldn’t wake her, she was exhausted from their previous three night’s activities and sleeping deeply. Logan felt a little bad about keeping her up so late when she had to be up for work early this morning so he decided to do something nice and surprise her with breakfast.

He threw on a pair of boxers and a tee shirt and quietly tip toed out of the room, closing the door behind him so he wouldn’t disturb her from the kitchen. He looked in the fridge and in her small pantry to assess what she had available that he could whip up.

Logan grabbed a box of pancake mix and a bottle of syrup from the pantry shelf and a container of blueberries and strawberries from the fridge along with a packet of bacon. He reached out a bowl and measured out the pancake mix and the appropriate amount of water. Next, he cut up the blueberries into halves and dumped them into the mix. After stirring the mix until he got all the powered batter lumps out he poured the blueberry concoction into a frying pan in perfect circles.

Waiting for the pancake batter to bubble he emptied the package of bacon onto a plate and tossed it in the microwave. He flipped the pancakes over and when they were done he added them to serving plates. He finished with three large and fluffy blueberry pancakes on each of their plates, adding a little whipped cream on top and showered each stack with fresh cut up strawberries.

He moved the plates to the placemats on the kitchen island and placed the cooked plate of bacon and bottle of syrup between them along with forks and knives. Logan grabbed two glass cups and filled them with orange juice before walking down the hall to wake up Veronica.

Veronica was lying on her left side snuggled under the covers to stay warm. Logan sat on the edge of the bed and smiled down at her. She was so beautiful and he felt so lucky to have her in his life. He moved a few strands of hair that had fallen over her face and tucked them behind her ear. Logan bent over and placed a gentle kiss to her temple and then whispered in her ear. “It’s time to get up, Bobcat. I made you breakfast.”

She rolled over onto her back and slowly opened her eyes. “What time is it?”

“Just after six-thirty. We probably should have actually slept last night so you wouldn’t be so tired for work.”

Veronica sat up holding the sheet to her chest and smiled as the memories made from last night flooded her mind. “Being tired is totally worth it. Now what did I hear you say about breakfast?”

Logan laughed and pulled her out of bed, handing her a tank top and pajama pants. “I made pancakes and bacon. I live to keep you properly fed and satisfied.”

“You excel at both of those things, two reasons why I love you.” They walked into the kitchen and Veronica’s eyes grew at the display. “Oh my god, you made all this?” Logan proudly nodded his head yes. “If it tastes as good as it looks I’m going to expect this type of treatment regularly.”

“Anything for you, Sugarpuss.” Logan pulled her into his chest by her waist and gave her a kiss. “Now lets eat!”

* * *

 

Veronica walked into work and dumped her purse in her office. Last week Joel had told her to meet with him first thing Monday morning, he wanted to talk about her future as an ADA. She could not be more grateful for the timing of this meeting because she too needed to talk to him about her future and her rather sudden decision to quit.

Joel’s office door was open. She knocked on the door to announce her arrival and then closed the door for privacy after she entered, taking a seat in front of his desk. Joel got up and joined her in the adjacent chair. “Veronica, you look good, happy. I’m assuming you had a good weekend.”

Veronica couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Yes, it was a great weekend.”

“I’m glad to hear it. So, let me get straight to why I wanted to talk with you because I think we are on the same page. Before your vacation and especially after you got back it became clear as day that while you don’t mind being here in New York, it is not where you really want to be. Am I wrong?”

Veronica shook her head no. She did not know Joel had her pegged so well.

He smiled and continued. “Good. I hate being wrong. Anyway, when I asked for this meeting last week I had every intention of trying to persuade you to go back to California. I’d hate to lose you as my ADA but I realize that your happiness comes first and sadly you won’t find it here. Then your gentleman caller waltzed in here Friday and now I’m guessing I don’t have to say anything because you plan on telling me you’re resigning, right?”

Veronica’s jaw dropped open. “Wow. Am I that transparent? New York is throwing me off my game.”

Joel laughed and crossed his right leg over his left knee. “I’m very good at reading people. You have been the most challenging by far, but Friday when Logan was standing in your office you read like a book.”

“Is it safe to assume this meeting counts as me putting in my two weeks notice or do you need an official letter?”

“I’d say you put in your two weeks when you got back from vacation. All your cases are closed so we can say last Friday was your last day. If you ever need anything don’t hesitate to call. And if you find yourself in New York again, just know you’ll always have a job here.”

Veronica smiled; Joel was really the only reason she survived out here all these years. She let out a deep breath and bit her bottom lip. “I was thinking about hanging up my lawyer hat for a while and jumping back into being a PI.”

Joel slowly nodded and folded his hands over his knee. “Its the thrill of the chase, being out in the field, isn’t it?”

“Working unofficially as a PI is how I worked my way through high school, you know. I got my license in college and took on a few cases where I made some poor choices, choices I wish I could go back and change. I transferred out of Neptune and tried to put it all behind me. I did pretty well, I didn’t touch another case but I never completely walked away from the PI world. I still have my license, I never told my dad, but it’s active. I’ve renewed it every year. I couldn’t get rid of it without destroying a large part of who I am. I love investigating and I feel a little lost without it.”

Joel watched Veronica as she talked, it was strange hearing her open up and talk so freely. He knew quite a bit about her background after knowing her for a few years. Her body relaxed when she talked about investigating, he could tell it was a passion and one she didn’t talk about often because her loved ones didn’t approve. He was overjoyed that she trusted him enough to use him as a sounding board. She wanted reassurance that this idea was the right decision. “I think it’s a smart move. You’re going home, you don’t have any other obligations and you have your years as a lawyer to back up your instincts. There’s no better time to dive back in and you clearly enjoy being a private investigator. What does Logan think, have you told him?”

“He was surprisingly, supportive, but he was present during all my previous investigating so he knows how important it is to me.”

Joel smiled. “Of course he does. He loves you. Just remember to invite me to the wedding.”

Veronica laughed at him. “Don’t you think that’s jumping the gun a little? We’ve only been dating for three days.”

“Physically, but the two of you have been in an emotional relationship for the past sixteen years. The way that boy was looking at you on Friday…there hasn’t been one day that has gone by that you weren’t on his mind. Trust me, I’ve been married for over forty years, I know these things.”

As the conversation slowed, Veronica stood up to let Joel get back to work. “Thank you for everything, Joel. It was an honor having you as my mentor.”

Joel stood up as well and gave her a hug. “The real pleasure was all mine. Keep in touch and you have an open invitation to come and visit any time. You will always be welcomed at my family gatherings as well. You’ll have to bring Logan some time, you know my wife will have a field day when she sees the two of you together, ever the romantic sap that woman.”

“I’ll talk to Logan and maybe we can fly in for Thanksgiving.” She said goodbye to Joel and made her way down the hallway to pack up her office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left! I will have it posted by the end of July!


	17. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, the last chapter! Man, didn't this story just fly by!? Thank you for reading and enjoy!

3 Months Later  
October 2016

  
“Dick said they have everything set up and everyone will be over by five o’clock.” Logan said to Veronica as they were on their way to Tyler’s house to pick him up.

It was a week after his birthday and Logan and Veronica wanted to do something special. They were surprising Tyler with an afternoon of just the three of them and then going over to Dick and Mac’s new house for a surprise party with cake and ice cream.

When Veronica returned from New York she moved into the beach house with Logan and Dick. Dick had already been looking with Mac for a new, more baby friendly home, so he was moved out by September, leaving the beach house to Logan.

They pulled in, parked in the driveway and went up to the front porch to ring the doorbell. Linda answered the door with a big smile. “It’s good to see you two again, and together! I just knew the first time I saw the two of you that you were destined to end up together…and here you are!”

She took a step to the side and waved them in. “I’m sorry. I’m embarrassing you. Come on in, Tyler’s just grabbing a jacket. He’s very excited for your surprise afternoon, he hasn’t stopped trying to guess where you’re taking him.”

Logan laughed and smiled at Linda. “He’s been spending too much time with Veronica, always digging for clues.”

Tyler came racing downstairs and threw himself at Logan and Veronica. “I’m ready to go! Where are we going anyway?”

Veronica roughed up his hair and responded in a singsong voice. “You’ll know when we get there.”

Tyler walked over and gave his mom a hug and kiss goodbye and followed Logan out to the car.

Veronica stayed behind for a moment to talk to Linda. “Here’s the address to Dick and Mac’s. Feel free to head over whenever you’d like, but everyone is meeting around 5pm and we will be there shortly after.”

Linda gave Veronica a hug. “Thank you so much for doing this. He’s going to be so excited for both of his surprises. Have a good time and I’ll see you at Dick’s.”

Veronica left and climbed back into the car. “What did you decide on for lunch, Bud? Any place you want, it’s your choice.”

Tyler thought for a moment in silence. “Can we go to the pizza place on the boardwalk?”

Veronica turned in her seat and looked at Tyler. “Sure, but you can pick anywhere. We don’t have to eat at a pizza kiosk.”

“I know, but that’s where we all had lunch together for the first time, so I want to go there.”

Logan and Veronica shared a look and smiled. “That sounds perfect.” Logan pulled out of the driveway and headed in the direction of the boardwalk.

* * *

 

After lunch they pulled into an upscale entertainment square in the middle of downtown Neptune. There were boutiques and stores along manicured sidewalks. Landscaped lawn recreational areas for outdoor music and lounging under strands of lights. Since it was the middle of the day the lights were not on yet, but it was still beautiful.

They walked along the sidewalk and stopped in front of a large building at the end of the row of stores. Tyler was standing in between Logan and Veronica holding their hands. “Are we here to see a movie?”

Logan nodded and smiled. “We are. Have you ever seen a movie here before?”

Tyler shook his head slowly. “No.”

“This movie theatre is a little different. The chairs recline back and prop your feet up to make you more comfortable and you can order food, regular food like pizza, chicken strips, burgers, tacos, and they will bring it to you during the movie.”

Tyler’s eyes widened at what he was hearing. He had never been to a theatre like this and he was so excited to see the inside. “What are we seeing?”

Veronica took over and continued to tell Tyler his birthday surprise plans. “Finding Dory. I remembered a few months back you said you wanted to see it with Logan and me when it came out but then I left for New York. You haven’t seen it yet, right?”

Tyler smiled big and shook his head. He had refused to see it until he could watch it with them. He considered it their special movie series ever since he showed it to them after his first surf lesson. “No, it’s not out anymore though. How are we going to see it?”

“Logan took care of that, he had them bring it back just for you. He rented out one of the screens so it’s just going to be the three of us.”

“Really!?” Logan and Veronica nodded. “This is going to be so awesome! Thank you!” He gave each of them a hug.

Veronica smiled and hugged him back. “You’re welcome. Happy Birthday, Bud!”

The three of them walked inside the movie theatre and were escorted into their special theatre. Tyler was excitedly jumping up and down as they walked down the hall with the biggest smile on his face stretching ear to ear.

Inside the theatre they chose three seats in the middle, front and center to the screen. Tyler sat with Logan on his left and Veronica on his right asking them trivia questions about Finding Nemo to make sure they still remembered the first film.

Logan hit the button on the chair to place an order and when the movie attendant came by he ordered a large bucket of popcorn, three sodas and an assortment of candy.

While they were waiting for the food to be brought in and the movie to start Veronica decided to take some pictures. She got up and took one of Logan and Tyler smiling in their big comfy movie theatre chairs. She took another one of them making silly faces.

Logan traded places with Veronica and took her picture with Tyler as well. When the food was brought out they had the movie attendant take a picture of all three of them.

As the lights began to dim indicating the start of the movie, Logan placed the tub of popcorn in Tyler’s lap so they all could share. He handed Veronica a package of Twizzlers and a bag of Skittles to Tyler.

The movie started and Veronica smiled at how excited Tyler was. She knew she made the right decision by coming home. Everything wasn’t perfect but it was close.

Her and Logan had been getting along seamlessly, which was surprising since they jumped straight to moving in together. They were still in the honeymoon phase of their newly rekindled relationship and had only suffered minor bumps along the way. She had faith that when the big issues caught up to them they would be able to handle them like the mature adults they sometimes were.

Keith had even accepted Logan’s role in Veronica’s life a little bit more. It was a work in progress and so far it was going smoothly. She didn’t expect Logan and her dad to become buddies, sitting around the TV drinking beer and watching a Padres game, but coexisting in the same room without judgmental jabs was a happy medium.

Of course, Keith was even less thrilled about her new career choice than her love life decisions. When she returned from New York she told him about her plan to rejoin him at Mars Investigations. His reaction had been expected, pure anger and disappointment.

Eventually, she had worn him down and he agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to let her work with him. He knew it was better just to agree because she would end up investigating whether he allowed her to or not. At least this way he could control the cases she was taking.

It wasn’t ideal, she wanted to be his partner, but her foot was in the door and she would slowly worm her way in to her dad’s good graces again. She understood his reactions stemmed from love and concern and he wasn’t trying to be difficult on purpose.

Veronica laid her head back against the headrest and turned her full attention back to the movie. She wanted to be present in this moment with Tyler and Logan.

* * *

 

After the movie ended and the theatre house lights came back on Tyler jumped up and started sharing his favorite parts of the movie. “Did you see baby Dory? She was so cute. And that octopus, he wasn’t very nice at first, but he was so cool blending in with everything! And then the fish in the truck at the end!”

Veronica and Logan were staring at Tyler and smiling, waiting for him to take a breath. When he was done he dropped back onto the chair and popped a Skittle in his mouth. “Thank you for my birthday present!”

Veronica smiled at him. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

He nodded his head and Logan picked up their snacks to take with them. They piled back into the car and Logan drove in the direction of Dick’s house. Veronica sent Mac a text saying they were on their way and would be there in ten minutes.

Tyler noticed that they weren’t driving in the direction of his house and started to wonder were they were going now. “Are we going back to your house?”

Logan spoke up as he was driving. “No, we're going to Dick and Mac’s. I forgot to pick something up yesterday and thought we could just swing by and get it today.” Tyler looked out the window the rest of the way.

When they arrived at Dick’s they climbed out of the car and Logan and Veronica walked behind Tyler so he would be the first one in. “Go on in, Bud, Dick knows we are stopping by.”

Tyler turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. All the lights in the foyer sprang to life and a crowd of people with balloons and confetti jumped out and yelled “Happy Birthday, Tyler!”

Tyler’s eyes grew wide in surprise and a giant smile graced his face, as all the people who cared about him were here to celebrate his birthday. He had never had a real birthday party with guests before and he started to cry happy tears.

His parents, Linda and Brett, came over and gave him a hug and wiped his tears. Johnny was standing off to the side waiting for his turn to tell his little brother happy birthday.

Keith and Alicia were standing next to Dick, Wallace, Wallace’s girlfriend Olivia and a six month pregnant Mac.

Tyler turned and gave each person a hug and told him or her thank you for coming and for being his friend. His parents smiled at the group of people who had loved and cared for their son over the past four months.

Before Tyler met Veronica they constantly worried about him growing up without any friends. He never played with the kids on the street, or talked about any of the kids in his class. He was never invited to sleepovers, birthday parties or just to hang out with other kids. He was always quiet and reserved and didn’t mind playing alone, but they knew he longed for a friend.

When Veronica and her friends welcomed Tyler into their group everything changed. He was more outgoing, excited and happier than they had ever seen him. They taught him how to surf, included him in their plans, made him feel special and accepted him for who he was.

It was a little on the unconventional side, a seven-now-eight-year-old, befriending a group of adults, but they could not have asked for better friends for Tyler. He was happy and that made Linda and Brett happy.

Tyler grabbed Veronica’s hand and pulled her forward toward the kitchen. “Come on, Dick said there’s cake!”

Veronica laughed and followed Tyler. The cake Dick mentioned was sitting on the counter with eight blue candles on top. The cake was decorated with surfers riding beach waves and sea turtles swimming under the water.

They all sang happy birthday to Tyler and cut the cake and served the ice cream. The group laughed and mingled and gave Tyler his presents.

Keith and Alicia had gotten Tyler a new Padres jersey and tickets to tour the stadium in the off-season. He got a handful of graphic tees, pre-approved by Mac, from Dick to add to his surfer appearance and an all day pass to try the new Flow Rider, which was an indoor surf simulation.

Veronica and Logan had already gifted Tyler with the Finding Dory premiere but they still wanted to give him something small to open. Tyler opened up the box they handed him and found a small digital Nikon camera inside. Veronica promised him that they would take him to the zoo to test it out soon.

As the party died down Tyler went around the room and said his thank you’s and everyone helped Mac and Dick clean up before taking off.

* * *

Once Logan and Veronica got home they collapsed on the bed. Logan propped himself up on his elbows and faced Veronica. “I think Tyler had a nice belated birthday.”

Veronica smiled back at him. “I think so too. The surprise party was a good idea. I knew I kept you around for a reason.”

Logan smirked and covered Veronica’s body with his own, careful not to put all his weight on her. “I think you keep me around for a lot more than my party ideas.” He captured her lips with his in a deep kiss.

Veronica broke the kiss feeling breathless and slightly flushed. “You’re right…you’re pretty to look at.”

Logan smiled and undid the button on her jeans. “Mhmm, what else?”

“You make me laugh and challenge me in every way.” His hand ghosted across her abdomen, slowly moving north, teasing her. “You are very intelligent and I enjoy a man with a brain.” Logan’s fingers lightly traced the undersides of her breasts and she was quickly losing her ability to think straight. She moved her hands into his hair and gently scraped her nails along his scalp. “But the main reason I keep you around is because I love you. Only you.”

Logan’s fingers stopped their exploration and he leaned in to kiss her again. No matter how many times he heard her say those words it felt like the first time. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes with a smile that he knew made her insides flop and heat up. “I love you, too. Always.”


End file.
